Subject: Gap
by Koishi The Satori
Summary: As the uprising within City 17 reaches it's climax, a group of Overwatch soldiers are sent to recover an important prisoner.
1. Malignant

The hum of a Combine Dropship was a deafening thing to most, the constant sputter of engines and natural noises of the synth itself.

However, to the soldiers of Overwatch, there is no sound more welcome. Within the pod, a group of Elite soldiers waited patiently and near silently, red optics looking forward as gear was checked. Slight scuffs could be seen over their armors, noting their immediate dispatch from another operation, another chain in what seemed like an endless gauntlet for the soldiers.

The uprising of the civilians within City 17 was proving far more successful than it reasonably should. Countless outposts, checkpoints, and even the central Nexus had fallen to Rebel control. Thus, the Elite were on full deployment.

Civil Protection often referred to them as "Deathwatch". The most augmented and well-equipped soldiers the transhuman arm had to offer, the skull imprinted onto their insignia proof of their lethality.

"Overwatch Team Six-Four-Zero, approaching destination in one minute." came the cold, cool voice of Overwatch's AI system. "Repeating mission objective. Malignant forces have intercepted an important transport train. Recovering prisoner aboard said train is of high priority. Malignant forces are to be dealt with as you see fit, subject, however, must be kept alive." the AI explained.

"Code reminder: Deploy, expunge, extricate." they finished.

A moment of silence passed before the Elite in the back spoke up over comms.

"Forty-Zero, requesting final gear check." they spoke, voice modulated a little further than most transhuman soldiers.

"Forty-One, gear ready."

"Forty-Two, gear ready."

Forty-Three, gear ready."

The sounds of the dropship's main pulse gun began to go off before the others spoke, indicating the closeness of the landing zone.

"Forty-Four, gear ready."

Forty-Five, gear ready."

"Forty Zero, gear ready." the apparent leader spoke once more. "We're behind enemy lines, we have minimal Overwatch support, and minimal access to supplies. Do not underestimate the enemy." Zero spoke, AR2 in hand. "Displace as soon as possible, then fan out. Get ready for Bouncer use."

A silent show of small green glows from each helmet indicated readiness as the sounds of landing began, the door beginning to open.

"Fan out, move, move, move!" Zero continued, and the soldiers obeyed. They'd been dropped less than a block to the train station, one of the last above ground stations before it connected to the Citadel's own, the tower itself looming high over them.

The closeness of forces to the Citadel concerned the leader of the squad, even if they didn't show it. They couldn't tell how Overwatch had lost so much ground so fast. Likely to do with the return of Anticitizen One, they assumed. They pushed the thoughts to the side as the coast seemed clear, for now. They made a silent gesture to the rest of the team to push forward, moving around a dilapidated building.

Forty-Three scanned the streets ahead, their enhanced optical displays making them perfect for scouting duty.

"They've taken an emplacement gun, it's aimed in our direction. Movement is minimal, chances of ambush ahead very high." Three relayed.

"Cover?" Zero asked.

"Plentiful. Cars on the road, higher walls when approaching the station and shorter ones surrounding a courtyard." Three replied.

Zero looked through the visual data Three sent, figuring a strategy for approach. A road sat in front of them, before a small park-like courtyard before the stairs ahead lead up to the station itself.

"Two, Four, Five, head with me through the alley, be ready for an ambush. One, Three, head up to the building beside us, set up and fire when the trap is sprung. Try to keep quiet to mask position." Zero ordered.

Green lights lit up all around, and the team split into two. Three and One headed to the second floor, staying low to avoid detection from the shattered wall as Three readied their sniper rifle, switching off the laser as they took aim.

As the second group got to the cars, an alarm sounded. They were assuredly spotted. The unmanned emplacement was near immediately manned, and a stream of pulse fire rained onto the cars.

Three more rebels came up from cover, and four emerged from the station themselves. Their armaments were varied as Three relayed data, featuring MP7s, AR2s and SPAS-12s.

Three's laser lit up, and before the turret-manned rebel could realize, their head now had a clean hole through it.

A series of quick bursts from the team's AR2s quickly stopped any advance the Rebels could make. Zero and Two pushed forward to an outlying brick wall, Four and Five laying down suppressing fire as Two armed a grenade.

Zero gave an orange light, designating a order to hold, waiting a few seconds until it flashed green. Internal calculations ran as Two pulled the pin, cooking it for just the right time so after they threw it, it detonated right into a piece of Rebel cover, two bodies being blown to smithereens and allowing both to push forward as the covering fire behind them moved in as well.

They moved through the small park and it's lone withered tree, coming up to the other side's wall, partially blown apart by the grenade.

They rounded it through the new opening, Two firing out a shot towards a hiding Rebel before two barrels of buckshot retaliated. An instant kill as Two's body flew backwards, Zero knew as much as soon as the boom of the SPAS went off. But they also knew the opportunity it gave, firing a burst to kill the rebel before they could pump the shotgun.

Zero pressed up against the wall below the emplacement, adjacent to the stairs up. They saw Three get another kill via their visual link, leaving the number of rebels above reduced to three.

"Two down, requesting Bouncers on targets above." Zero relayed, reloading the AR2 effortlessly as they held position.

"Affirmative." Four responded, cooking a grenade slightly before launching it over the emplacement.

A scream of "Grenade!" was all the team needed to hear before the three remaining pushed up the stairs. As Rebels fled for their lives, pulse rounds slammed into their backs, three bodies soon falling to the floor.

"Malignants dead or scattered." Zero affirmed as they checked for movement. "Three, One, move forward."

"Affirmiti-" A gunshot was heard through the radio before a slightly panicked Three started again with "Reinforcemen-"

Another couple of shots rang out before the squad overview read out with another flatline. Zero grimaced under the helmet before looking to the two beside them. "Four, get on the emplacement, watch for a sniper. Five, cover left and stairs."

Green lights flashed as a slight sense of worry was sent through Zero's systems before being replaced at annoyance at themselves for not expecting another part to the ambush. Their spotter was down, thus they had to rely on their own optics.

At least eight rebels were moving out of the alley towards them, wielding a wide assortment of weapons. This was the real trap.

Four fired out with the emplacement gun, wounding a couple of rebels before they hit cover, their lighter armor allowing them to move faster than they could. Regardless, they approached from multiple angles, forcing the other two to supplement fire. Zero did internal calculations in their head at their odds. It wasn't good, especially due to their already taxed ammo supplies.

Then the distinctive blue laser came back from the building, and the team knew it wasn't theirs this time. Four switched to the laser point, forcing them back down but also allowing an opening for Rebels to push forward. Zero got one who got greedy with their movement, catching them in the leg before finishing off with a headshot. Their AR2's reserves were beginning to get on the lower end of the spectrum though, forcing them to use rounds sparingly.

As Five continued laying down suppressing fire, a shot caught him dead center, a huge piece of heated rebar from a makeshift crossbow that tore through their helmet's protection, leaving them dead on the spot.

Two versus seven. These odds were looking less and less favorable. Zero saw another pair of rebels as they took cover, and primed a grenade, tossing it over and flushing them out, making quick work for Four as the emplacement ripped them apart in a single spurt.

Then the laser came back, and Four wasn't quick enough this time. A shot rang out, hitting them square in the chest.

"Armor punctured." Four spoke in a calm tone, despite the gaping hole in their armor. "Retreat, commander?"

Zero thought to the options before they thought of a plan.

"Use your reserve vial. Should hold you for a time. Get on the gun, I have an idea. If it doesn't work, retreat."

Four shot back a green light as they pulled out their emergency medical vial. The green liquid was fast acting, but it still wasn't as good as proper medical treatment, plus the now large damage to their chest-piece didn't help with that.

As Four laid down a bit more suppressing fire, Zero dropped down from the upper wall, pushing forward in a low crouch as they rounded the park's wall.

They noted a dead rebel's location, and more specifically, the crossbow that ended their comrade's life.

They kept low and grabbed it as more suppressing fire went out overhead, grabbing two pieces of rebar while they were at it.

It was no Sniper, but it would do. They rushed back to the park wall, diving as a laser targeted them.

They looked to the crossbow in their hands. They knew vaguely of the design, something they'd seen in a couple of raids in their earlier years. The battery superheated rebar, which was then launched at high speeds. One needed to account for projectile drop, but it was a lethal weapon, one that has ended many a CP or Overwatch Soldier.

They slotted in a piece of rebar, watching as it glowed to high temperature.

"Four, lure the laser." Zero commanded. Thus, Four turned up their suppression, laying down further fire.

Then, they waited. The laser finally appeared, revealing the sniper's position. The Elite quickly aimed and fired, accounting for drop over the long distance. Then, the laser clattered off target as their enhanced vision revealed the rebel to be pinned to the back wall with the shot.

"Sniper down." Zero relayed, slotting on another piece of metal. They snuck around the park before another Rebel tried the same maneuver from the other side. Unluckily for them, the Elite was faster, a piece of rebar being inserted into and through their neck in an incredibly messy manner. Considering their lack of rebar, they tossed the crossbow to the side, bringing back out the AR2.

Three Rebels remained. Despite their numbers, the trio decided to try and rush the emplacement after chucking a grenade towards Four's position. Four was forced to be flushed out, a hail of fire peppering their damaged armor. Four collapsed, but they didn't flatline yet. The Rebels seemingly calmed.

This was interrupted by a grenade that blew the now clumped group apart.

Zero spared no time, however, rushing past the scattered corpses and up the stairs to their last teammate.

Bullets and residual burns from pulse fire coated the armor, including the already punctured area.

"Are you still active, Four?" Zero spoke.

"Bl...bleeding heavily. Can't move legs. M...might've gotten spine." Four spoke, coughing somewhat.

Zero silently cursed. The healing salve they had could work well, but they didn't have a large enough dose to help such an injury.

"Requesting… euthanization." Four sputtered out. Zero breathed in deeply, holstering the AR2.

Silence passed for a couple of seconds before Zero pulled out their USP. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Not your… fault." Four reaffirmed, coughing again. "I wasn't expecting... this heavy a response either."

A couple more seconds of silence passed before Zero pressed the barrel under Four's neck. "I'm sorry."

A single shot made the Elite into a corpse, leaving Zero alone, the only sounds being those of distant battles still being fought.

"God dammit." they allowed themselves before standing up. They took the AR2 ammo from the bodies before bringing the weapon itself back up. This entire scenario was a shitshow. Men and women, his former teammates, ripped apart in one encounter. They felt guilt, despite Four's words, but they remembered the mission.

Their guard was back up as they headed towards the door, ready to finish up this mission and get back to the Citadel.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 _Well, that's a start, I guess. This crossover and story's been an idea in my head for a long, long time. There was an original, but like most of my early works, I despise them, but I usually lack the attention span or will to rewrite them._

 _Especially Teufort Debacle. If you want to see my old shitty writing, it's one of the few pieces i'm leaving up._

 _Regardless, Half-Life is something I hold near and dear to my heart, and i've always wanted to use my extensive knowledge of the universe for something._

 _Honestly, i'd prefer doing something like an RP, but such things these days have seemingly vanished. This story will have to do instead. Tell me what you think._


	2. Singularity

Zero peeked in, AR2 at the ready as they pointed it in multiple directions, scanning the area. A single Razor Train sat in the station, and nobody seemed to be around. But they knew it couldn't be the case. They knew the Rebels weren't stupid enough to leave the place unguarded in it's interior.

They followed around to the front of the train, looking to the other side. Nothing made a noise. The helmet's advanced auditory implants kicked into overdrive, tuning out the distant noises and focusing on anyone or anything around them.

As they head onto the other side of the platform, their readiness was rewarded. A rebel popped upwards from behind a bench, wielding a MP7 and a look of gritty determination, only to be silenced with a pair of pulses before they could fire off a shot.

Zero waited for a few more seconds, listening in every direction with perfect clarity. Nothing stirred. Perhaps they did send almost everyone outside. Likely not expecting the Overwatch team to succeed, even if Zero felt it was pyrrhic.

Thus, they looked to the train itself. Rebels had attempted to cut open the main car, but were only halfway finished. Zero pushed in a part of the metal plating, revealing a Combine lock. A simple authorization later, and the door opened.

Most of the car was empty, it's main cargo being a single full-body transportation pod in the back. They checked the car's surroundings again for a moment before approaching. Another lock greeted them. They opened it, and the pod opened, revealing it's inhabitant.

It was a woman, slightly disheveled. Blonde hair was cut in an obvious, mechanical way, clear that it had been clipped specifically for them to fit in the pod. Violet eyes darted around before landing on the Elite soldier in front of them.

"Oh. I see the rescue party failed. I'm honestly not even surprised." they spoke, their surprisingly smooth voice tainted with annoyance.

Zero unlocked the second layer, readying the weapon only to find that they had heavy shackles on too, restricting hand movement. Zero noted this as peculiar, as it was quite rare such methods were used in addition to the full pod.

The woman sighed at the raised weapon. "Relax, I'm not going to go around killing the likes of you with my bare fists and no armor."

Zero lowered the weapon. "Follow. Close, and don't even try to run."

"Fine." they spoke, following behind as Zero opened the other side's door, allowing them a clear passage out of the station.

The woman noted the lack of other members. "I didn't think 'Deathwatch' soldiers worked alone."

"We don't." Zero retorted flatly.

"Better than I expected from the rescue, then." they replied. "Killing nearly a full squad of you cyclopses is impressive."

Zero ignored the insult as they walked outside, switching to comms.

"Overwatch, this is Team Four-Six-Zero leader. Prisoner secured, ready for transport, over." they spoke through the radio, unheard by the woman.

Nothing came back but static and fuzz.

"Repeat, this is Four-Six-Zero, prisoner is secured, over." they spoke again, with a little more force.

What greeted them however was an explosion. Both heads looked up as the top of the Citadel looming above them exploded. Zero paused for a quick moment before grabbing the woman's arm forcefully.

"Move!" they ordered, moving back into the train as huge chunks of debris rained from the Citadel's peak, a wave of energy moving outward as the Citadel's spire collapsed due to the actions of one man.

Zero quickly sealed both doors after the woman entered, just in time as the station's ceiling-mounted windows were shattered because of smaller metal pieces, leaving the two sealed in a nearly pitch dark traincar, rocking violently as the shockwaves from the explosion and it's resulting energy moved outwards.

Countless noises filled the air outside as fighting paused, replaced by panic as huge pieces of metal sliced through city blocks, killing or maiming Combine and Rebel alike.

The train car rocked, but Zero knew that it was this or nothing. The Razor Train's metal was far tougher than anything in the surrounding building.

They waited it out for a few minutes until the rocking finally stopped. Zero carefully opened the train car. Devastation awaited them. Countless fragments of still-burning metal were strewn about the floor along with a field of broken glass.

The sky was a dark orange, the Citadel's peak burning a dark red as it's top became jagged and shattered.

"I guess all that preaching about Freeman had some merit to it after all." the woman chuckled. The Elite, meanwhile, was wondering how this day could get any worse.

They still had an objective, even if the methods to complete such had changed dramatically. Get the prisoner to somewhere under Combine control, so they could be handed off to wherever they were needed.

However, considering what had happened miles above them, another objective came before that. Get out of City 17 before a meltdown.

"Follow." they ordered, heading towards the building's exit.

"And why should I?" the woman retorted. The Elite stopped, turning back towards the prisoner before the woman continued. "Your Citadel just blew up, and evidently, your overseers are dead."

"What other choice do you have?" they responded. "You are just as alone as I am at the moment. We're near the Citadel's base, and judging by a quick calculation, it's going to explode and soon. You don't even have proper access to your hands, and i'm not going to release your bonds."

"So, logic dictates you have two choices. Come with me, have a chance at surviving, or die alone, helpless, and unable to avoid the Citadel's collapse." the Elite finished.

The woman paused for a moment, weighing the choices before reluctantly stepping forward. "You have a point, i'll give you that much. So what's your plan?"

"Three options." Zero spoke as they headed outside. "Find a train station headed in the right direction, find a APC and try to get as far as possible, or get deep underground and get out that way."

"First one's probably the best." the woman spoke after thinking it through a bit.

"Agreed." Zero affirmed. "Would be best to just follow the train line here, get to a main station. Need to take a small detour first."

"To where?" the prisoner asked, simply looking to the Elite seemingly not paying attention their way.

Zero looked across the park, over to the building where Three was positioned. "To get something useful."

* * *

Zero moved up to the building's second floor quickly. One's corpse was near the stairs, their head eviscerated by buckshot. They couldn't pause, however. They pushed on, moving over to Three's body. Buckshot shot a hole roughly through their body armor and what lied underneath, a mess of gore and metal. However, the helmet was intact, which was what Zero was hoping for.

They crouched down after holstering their weapon, taking hold of the distinctive red eye. They pressed into it in a pattern before it came forward, allowing Zero to unscrew it.

The woman just watched with a mixture of intrigue and a dash of confusion, though they didn't make the latter evident. As the optic was pulled out, the depth of the optic was evident, going deep into the skull, making the extent of augmentation of the soldiers obvious.

More interestingly, however was when Zero did a similar action to their own optic, leaving the metal socket exposed before putting the other optic within.

The woman patiently waited, simply asking "Why?"

"Better optic for the situation." Zero replied as they finished affixing the eye into themselves. "Mine is more for managing multiple squad members and visual feeds. Theirs was spotting and scanning. More sensitive, focused."

After finishing fitting the optic, they moved over to the dead rebel, still pinned to the wall via crossbow. Three's rifle sat on the ground close by, Zero examining it before holstering it alongside the AR2 on their back.

"Move." Zero stated, head tilting towards the door as the Pulse Rifle was once again in their hands.

The building was left deserted once more as the two left it.

"How much time do you think we have?" the woman asked as they began to move through the nearby alleyways.

"Two hours is most likely." Zero informed.

"That's a lot of ground to cover." the prisoner noted.

"Then be quiet and focus on the task." the Elite spoke a touch more forcefully, and a general quiet amidst the still-raging war set over them as they weaved through the maze of alleyways that made up the city this close to the Citadel.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 _Astute readers can already probably guess who the prisoner is, considering the name of the story. She's going to be quite a bit different than you'd expect, however. A lot has changed since the invasion of the Union._

 _It'll likely be explained later, when the proper chance occurs. There's a city to flee, first._


	3. Extricate

The prisoner was quite sure that even if the Citadel hadn't begun to meltdown, the city was in no shape to be called one. The two moved through entire blocks demolished, filled with corpses, aged and fresh.

Striders carved swaths through the streets, leaving fields of rubble as they continued stomping forth, the pounding of their guns heard whenever they approached a new block.

It seems the devastation also introduced a new hazard to the streets in the form of Antlions.

The two witnessed a checkpoint become near instantly overrun as a Guard smashed through, it's smaller kin cleaning up the rest with their claws, dragging corpses back into their burrows. Nobody was expecting Antlions, who never appeared in the city normally. Zero took a guess that it was likely the energy pulse and tremors that attracted them, or possibly a crippling blow to the overseeing AI that controlled the thumping system.

Regardless, they slinked along, moving fast and low as they went through the maze like city, the place unraveling further with every step they took.

They had walked several miles by now, the devastation becoming less apparent as they slowly moved to the outer layers of the city. Ruined Combine checkpoints were instead replaced with Rebel ones. Supply boxes still remained mostly stocked, allowing Zero to refill their supply of grenades and other ammunition.

While Zero did so, the prisoner simply watched.

"Do you have a name? Or did the Combine take that from you too?" they asked.

Zero paused at that, glancing towards them for a moment as they fitted the grenades on their belt. "Unit 805472, Commander of Squad Six-Four-Zero, squad designation Forty-Zero."

"So, yes." they spoke in a casual, albeit disappointed manner.

"Unnecessary for the most part. But if you wish to call me something, my teammates often referred to me as Zero in the field." they continued, beginning to move out of the building and onto the sidewalk as they continued to move.

"And yours?" they added as they rounded another corner, keeping an eye on the road in case Antlions came up.

"Didn't think you'd be interested in such a thing." the prisoner replied with a curious tone.

"A title or designation would likely work better than 'prisoner'. Plus the likely time frame before the transportation is complete." Zero explained.

The prisoner's eyes narrowed at that last statement. "Yukari Yakumo."

"Oriental. City 8?" Zero assumed.

"A long time ago, yes." Yukari replied. "Though once it was called Japan."

"Mhm." Zero acknowledged. "The name means violet, correct?"

A slight look of confusion found itself perched on the prisoner's face as they continued. "You know the language?"

"We have knowledge of nearly every common language found on the planet." the Elite replied. "転送する場合に便利です."

"Ah." Yukari replied. "I haven't been thinking ahead as well these days."

"Is Yukari your true name, or just a codename?" Zero inquired as they passed into another empty street.

"As real as it can be." Yukari slightly tilted their head. "Why?"

"Eyes." Zero explained. "Unnatural colour for them. If it were contacts, they'd be removed before transport."

"You pay more attention than most rebels." Yukari noted, exhaling rapidly from the nose in an amused manner.

"I've served for a long time. A single missed target can mean the difference between life and death when dealing with parasitics." Zero informed.

"Very true, something a lot of rebels also haven't figured out." Yukari replied, remembering what happened to Ravenholm.

"Are the eyes something you've always had?" Zero questioned.

"Yes." the prisoner spoke in a quick manner.

"Mutation?" they added.

Yukari paused for a moment as they passed by more carnage in the alleyways, Zero casually ending a slumped zombie's life in a single near-silent kick to the head before it could even start moving.

"Something like that." they finally responded. "You're quite talkative for an Overwatch Soldier. I was expecting far less answers and more silence."

Zero didn't respond, only raising a hand to the fellow behind them.

"Quiet." Zero spoke swiftly. Both paused for several seconds as a noise approached from above. On the rooftop above them, the decayed and agile forms of fast zombies lept from building to building above them. The two stayed silent until the practical horde passed.

"Clear." Zero finally said. "Keep quiet. Potentially more necrotics ahead."

They continued, and as they reached another block, the source of the zombies was shown. It was a large building. Watchtowers stuck out high, and the high amount of Combine reinforcement to the building showed that it was likely a former hub for Civil Protection.

The extra barricades and emplacements outside showed it's shift to a center of control for Overwatch, but the shells scattered on parts of the building showed that it had fallen and been shelled in retaliation to the takeover, likely to make the Rebels unable to access any notable data.

Normally, with the amount of Zombies shambling about, Zero would likely need a team or two to even think about safely taking them all out. However, as they looked on, a possible plan formed in their head.

"Are you thinking of-"

"Yes."

"Yukari looked to them incredulously. "I have no protection or access to hands. That's how you get your prisoner killed or worse."

"We're running low on time." Zero countered. "Station may have an APC. We use that to cover a lot more ground, see if we can get to the station."

"How much time?" Yukari asked.

"13 minutes or so." Zero spoke, looking on as a pair of fast zombies leapt off of the building's roof.

"Then release the hand restraints." Yukari's voice raised slightly.

Now it was Zero's turn to look at them with confusion and annoyance. "No."

"Are you expecting to be able to cleave through the horde by yourself? There's likely more inside than we're seeing. Yukari asked. "I'm only asking because I'm quite keen on living too."

Zero paused for a moment. "And what if you just decide to attempt to kill me with a given weapon?"

Yukari too took a moment before they spoke again. "Because if that was my intention, I would've tried so a while ago. Likely an attempt to strangle you."

"I can hold my breath for up to 45 minutes." Zero retorted.

"Oh." Yukari replied flatly.

But Zero was quiet for a few moments, calculating odds of survival if things went belly-up in there. The chance of things going bad was high, and the chance of survival when that happened?

Unacceptable by any standard. They looked to the violet-eyed prisoner, gesturing for the restraint. A smile came over Yukari's face before the Elite keyed in authorization to release it. The block clicked open with a whirring, and the Elite kept the block on the belt before pulling another out, their USP.

"You do what I say to the letter." Zero intoned. "If I see a deviation, you're being restrained again. Understand?"

"Crystal clear." Yukari spoke with slightly more confidence as they massaged their wrists. Zero cautiously handed over their USP by it's barrel.

"I'll assume you understand guns." Zero asked.

"Luckily, yes." Yukari spoke, checking the magazine. Zero watched them intently, looking for any sign of attempt at murder. They noted proper trigger discipline, their good tendency to keep the barrel away from others as they tested the sights.

"Alright, ready." Yukari spoke after they finished checking the weapon and receiving two extra magazines.

Zero hefted the OSIPR in their hands before moving into a lower stance. "Stay low, keep to the walls. Don't fire unless necessary."

Yukari nodded in understanding as they too lowered themselves, moving across the street before pressing against the perimeter wall of the building.

The shambling of a multitude of zombies was near. Constant moans and screams, hushed and panicked breathing mixed in. They moved silently, nearing a reinforced Combine sliding door.

They leaned towards Yukari for a moment, speaking in a low voice. "Be prepared to move."

Zero quickly stood up, punching authorization into the lock before it opened.

Several zombies began to turn towards the door in question as the noise it made pierced the veil of agony they naturally emitted.

"Move." they spoke quickly, beginning to fire off a couple of pulses at the closest few. As Yukari got in, the Elite shut it, leaving them with only one direction to go.

The smell of rot, decay, and burning filled Yukari's nose as they moved down the hallway. Signs of battle were obvious in nearly every corner. Smashed walls, bullet holes everywhere. The fighting must've been incredibly intense. However there was no time to look, as the two jogged forth.

They weaved through the hallways, Zero dealing with any Zombies who headed in their way. Eventually, they reached another reinforced door. This one, however had been blown open.

Zero peeked inside. Their goal was in sight. An APC was parked in the garage still. Other APCs were in various processes of deconstruction, and a shell through the ceiling as well as the few mindless hosts walking around showed their fate clearly.

Zero fired in bursts, each shot sounding akin to a door knocker as they tore apart the parasites. Yukari chipped in, taking out the few stray Headcrabs that still skittered around.

The Elite's enhanced auditory sensors detected shuffling, getting closer.

"Cover the door, I will prepare the APC." Zero ordered, tossing a MP7 at them from off a nearby corpse. They caught it, holstering the USP in a pocket before checking the weapon's ammo. Mostly full. Good enough.

Zero moved over to the garage's main console, flipping through screens as Zombies began to shamble into the room.

Yukari fired the weapon, slightly unused to the weapon's surprising amount of kick. A shambler was shredded in a barrage, but more were following behind.

"Please tell me you're almost done?!" Yukari called out, firing a sustained burst that downed another two.

Zero was quiet for another moment, before the APC began to hum to life. The Elite opening one of the side doors.

"Done." Zero called back, prepping a grenade and tossing it towards the door. "Get in. Now!"

Yukari fired a few more shots before the magazine was dry. They tossed the MP7 as they lacked further ammunition, getting into the back seat as the grenade and the resulting horde was obliterated. A video panel displayed the outside, camera affixed to the pulse-gun. After a small amount of experimenting, they swiveled the camera around, shooting into the growing group of undead.

Zero slammed on the button to open the garage door, getting in the APC as soon as they saw it rise.

However, what stood on the other side was not what even the Elite expected.

It was a tall thing, nearly as tall as the vehicle the two sat within. It's upper body was large, it's chest a functioning maw bubbling with acid. Huge sharp skeletal claws stuck out on each hand, and the parasite that rode atop it seemed entirely fused with the once corpse it was apart of.

"Gonome." Zero said flatly, flooring the vehicle and then suddenly stopping, sending the Gonome back a few feet, giving them room to drive. However, the creature would not be stopped so easily. It began running before lowering into a four-legged running stance as it began to speed up.

"A what?" Yukari spoke as they adjusted the gun.

"Advanced mutation of parasitics." Zero spoke as they made a sharp turn, jerking the APC and it's current inhabitants as they did so. "Was attempted to be genetically engineered out. Was successful for 99.352% of headcrabs produced. The remaining .648% grew worse."

The pulse gun fired out it's lethal turquoise lances of energy. They impacted into the Gonome, but aside from slightly slowing it down, it didn't do much to impede the creature, who was beginning to gain on them.

"Switch to rockets." Zero said. "Blast in front of where it's moving."

Yukari fiddled with the screen, eventually finding the button for the switch.

A rocket flew out, flying upwards before flying into the ground before the Gonome. The thing's cheetah-like stride was halted, the explosion causing it to skid out as shrapnel embedded itself into the creature's mottled flesh. Boils burst, and smoke rose.

Zero did another turn, and below them lied the thing they needed. City 17's central train station.

"We're here." Zero noted, opening the side door.

"That we are." Yukari replied, looking down to the station below. However, the two noted something quite important. The last train was beginning to depart.

"Shit." Zero spoke as it began to slowly move forward. "We need to jump."

Yukari's eyes widened. "I wouldn't have taken you for an action he-"

However, the Elite in question was not listening, rather grabbing the prisoner in question and pulling them to the railing. "We have less than 5 minutes left. We jump or we die."

They slightly hesitated before positioning themselves on the railing. "Ready."

Zero positioned themselves as well, though they stood instead of sat. Then, when the next train car passed, they dropped. Zero took the fall in stride, barely showing any discomfort from the nearly 10 foot drop. Yukari, however had their face scrunch up.

"That's going to hurt in the morning, I believe." Yukari rubbed their back for a moment.

"It's very likely temporary. Also, duck." Zero spoke as the car they were on approached the tunnel ahead. Both went prone, lying on their bellies before the tunnel passed, the two getting back to their feet soon after.

However, a quite distinctive sound pierced the air. A near blur leapt from the top of the tunnel, but it's form was soon very obvious as it landed two cars away.

The Gonome had arrived.

"You're joking." Yukari intoned in a disbelieving fashion. Zero however wasted no time as they began to shoot into the creature. The thing stumbled more in it's bipedal state, nearly forced to a standstill by the barrage, but as the magazine clicked, the thing approached. Yukari fired their weapon as well, but to little effect, the flesh knitting itself in response.

"How the hell do you kill this thing?!" Yukari called out

"Fire." Zero responded with a surprisingly calm tone. "If this is a Rebel controlled train, get down there and ask for a Molotov or something similar."

"And you?" Yukari asked.

"I can hold it off. Go. Now." Zero spoke, holding more force in their voice. Yukari stilled, before nodding, moving to the hatch behind them.

Zero looked to the beast in front of them as it moved forth, making snarling noises akin to a rabid dog. Zero holstered the Pulse Rifle, pulling a large knife from their utility belt. Knives normally weren't standard issue, but Zero had found it useful for plenty of things, it's metal sharper than obsidian without the failings of glass.

One good hit, they spoke in their mind, calculating the thing's next movements as it approached. One good hit to the head would kill or at least cripple it.

But one good hit from the creature would likely do the same to them, even within their white shell of armor. They adjusted their standing stance as the Gonome lunged. Two arms came down swinging at the Elite, forcing them to back-step, retaliating with a quick stab forward into the shoulder, missing the head due to it's jerky movements. It still cleanly sliced through the flesh of the thing, cutting into muscle and bone with ease.

The creature did not care however, using the weight of it's body to send the Elite hurtling back onto the roof of the train car. A set of claws soon followed, only raking into the roof as Zero did a small roll to the side. Zero saw an opportunity though, slashing to the side before the thing pulled it's claws out, slicing off the entire hand as a result.

The thing recoiled somewhat at the sudden loss of limb, snarling at the now cleanly cut forearm that was left.

"Stay down, cyclops!" a voice called from behind Zero's position. Before they could react, a stream of green energy fire dout over them, colliding into the Gonome as it caused it to practically scream, a cacophony of voices echoing out, somewhere between human and feral animal.

It took a moment for Zero to realize what it was. An Immolator, a Cremator's weapon of choice. It's stream of violent plasma burned and corroded it's victims, and the Gonome was no exception as it stumbled backwards, regeneration countered by the stream. It clutched at it's head, it's pain causing it to stumble off the side of the train, body tumbling and being left behind as the City was left behind them.

Zero finally looked to the user, finding not only Yukari, but another woman, long silver hair topped with a partially ripped bow. Despite their surprisingly thin frame, they hefted the Immolator in an almost casual manner. Their eyes too were unnatural, it's red an echo of the Citadel's current state.

"You never go anywhere without invokin' trouble, don't you, Yakumo?" the stranger asked, glancing to the other in question.

"It has been a constant." Yukari replied as Zero got to their feet, only to find the barrel of the Immolator right in front of their person.

"You move, you get worse than that zombie." the woman growled.

"Mokou." Yukari responded, narrowing their eyes at the other. "Lower the weapon."

"Then have him lower his." the woman, apparently 'Mokou' retorted.

Zero wordlessly dropped the knife. "Done."

"Huh. Not used to you Overwatch actually listenin'." one of Mokou's eyebrows raised in a light confusion. "What do you want to do with them?"

"Well, I was thinking-" Yukari's thoughts were interrupted, however, as a loud noise echoed through the air, forcing all three to turn their attention to it's source.

The sound continued, a series of loud, echoing noises that sounded in a pattern. Pulses of light ran up the Citadel's sides as a great beam of energy shot into the air above the Citadel's shattered peak.

"We're out of time." Zero spoke.

"Shit." Mokou mumbled, opening the hatch the hatch and dropping down, her voice echoing to the roof. "Everyone, hold onto something, Citadel's going critical!"

The sound of frenzied and shuffling feet was heard below as the other two looked on, the beam coalescing into a growing ring of energy.

"That's not a meltdown." Yukari noted.

"No, it's not." Zero replied as a multitude of pods shot out in various directions. "For your rebellion, it is worse."

The base of the Citadel began to glow a bright cyan as well as the portal atop it, growing and growing as a pod raced and began to overtake the train as a it soared overhead.

A wave of pain shot through the heads of both, forcing Yukari to clutch their head as a growing wave of energy began to expand outwards, consuming the city in it's wake

Zero gritted their teeth and grabbed ahold of Yukari, dropping both the train car below.

The wave kept expanding, at an almost exponential pace, and before those around could realize a member of the Combine was in their midst, the car was consumed in energy.

And then the train was no more.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 _And that's a good point to leave things at, right? No? Well, too bad. You can consider this the end of the introduction and a start for the meat of the story proper._

 _Though, to be genuinely honest, i'm partially making this up as I go along. Just a warning. Might have shorter chapters in the future, might take longer._


	4. Coagulate

The sounds of groaning metal were the first thing Zero heard as they awoke, their mechanical systems running diagnostics. They instinctively checked time, finding that an hour had passed.

No true notable injuries were noted, the armor taking the brunt. However, one message did make itself known quite well.

" _Warning: Tracking Chip Not Found!_ " the message read. They leaned up, instinctively moving for the back of their head before realizing that they could actually feel it.

Their helmet was gone, they realized. Their optic flared to life as they looked to find that long-haired woman standing over them, Immolator in hand.

"Your cyclops is up, Yakumo." came their irritated voice, growling out the word 'cyclops' with a kind of restrained anger the Elite had never seen. Regardless, they instinctively scanned the area around them.

The wreckage of the train was in full view. A group of rebels seemed to be gathered closer to it, Medics tending to wounded in a makeshift camp as others attempted to pull out whatever supplies remained from the wreckage.

"Ah, good." Yukari spoke, Zero focusing on them as they came from the side, looking down to the Elite. "I do hope your sleep was pleasant."

"I do not dream." Zero flatly spoke, their voice significantly different without the modulation, just a very slight mechanical edge to it separating it from a normal human's.

"A shame." the former prisoner replied in a slightly pitiful manner. "But to the point."

Yukari lowered themselves to look Zero in their singular red optic as Mokou stepped back, leaning on a nearby tree. "Back in that trainstation, you gave me what essentially boiled down to an ultimatum. Now, I believe it is time to give one of my own."

"Your weapons are not here, your helmet is not protecting you, and with help from my friend over there..." Yukari's head slightly tilted in the direction of the group behind. "The Combine believe you dead and if you showed up to a Combine Outpost, it's likely they may shoot you on sight." they spoke, a smile full of satisfaction showing to the flat, seemingly unaffected face of Zero.

"So, I see two options here. Either you keep to your vows of duty to 'Our Glorious Benefactors'..." they started, words dripping with enough sarcasm at the title to refill the drained oceans.

"Or you come with us." they continued. "And prove that you truly care about this planet's future, unlike the falsities that the likes of Wallace Breen promised."

Zero simply gave a slight tilt of their head at that statement. "You are trusting a…" Zero seemed to pause as they reread the situation in their mind. "...'former' Overwatch Elite soldier with coming with you. And then trusting that they'd be loyal enough to not run away or kill the others while they sleep."

"I mean, you can try the latter." Mokou spoke up, readjusting the Immolator in their hands. "But it won't end well for you."

Yukari's eyes slightly narrowed at Mokou, their head turning towards them momentarily. Mokou rolled her own eyes in response before huffing as Yukari returned attention back to the Elite, who still looked to them with a flat look. Their face was hard for Yukari to read. It was a strange thing. Above the jaw, the head was seemingly made of that strange metal the Combine used for nearly everything, the only defining feature being the singular port for the optic which stared at them. It was somewhat unsettling to look at, and a testament to the life the Combine wish to drain out of humanity.

"So, do you have an answer?" Yukari asked. Zero did not speak for several seconds afterwards before they adjusted their position, getting to their feet before Yukari did the same.

"You make a lot of assumptions." Zero started. "You believe that we soldiers are engrained with Wallace's views of the Combine. This is false. Most don't or can't even care about such things. Morale is not an issue when manipulation of the mind is involved."

"My lack of faith in your Resistance comes not just with the many calculations i've done on the subject, but it also comes with the advent of that." Zero's head gestured over to the side, where a large drop presided, but along with it came a view.

Where once a Citadel loomed over the surrounding miles, now lied ruins that still easily reached a mile high, and above those, a torrential beam of energy coalesced upward in a violent and shifting fashion, only anchored by the growing turquoise portal it streamed into.

"That thing is a death knell, and by damaging the Citadel, your supposed face of the Resistance has likely caused the end of humanity." Zero stated with more force. "The Union forces somewhat held back last time they were here, yet they still conquered the planet in less than half a day. Now that they see the potential of what could happen, it won't happen again."

"And if they do come streaming in, they won't spare you, you know." Mokou noted.

"I know." Zero replied. "But considering the portal's current growing state, it's likely that it'll be possibly less than a day until that portal is finished forming, and the end comes. The time to stop it is very small, especially considering what would be needed to close it."

"White Forest is already working on that, and once the wounded are stabilized, we'll be heading there." Yukari replied swiftly. "Now tell me, calculate in your head the odds of us succeeding if that portal is shut."

This gave Zero pause for a moment, making them think before putting in all factors.

Resistance would likely be far more widespread after this incident, that was a factor they were sure of. Judging by the one who had hacked the Breencasts back in the city, the connection to the Overworld was tenuous due to the reactor's collapse, and that stream was the Union's main chance for reinforcement and extermination of life.

But if that was removed, the chances…

"38.24%. Odds if the portal is not shut down are below 0.05%. However, there may be factors I am not aware of, leading to it likely being not completely accurate." Zero finally spoke.

Mokou simply chuckled. "Better than I thought."

"Indeed." Yukari added. "So, let's consider that a solid chance, nearly forty percent. That, plus your inside knowledge of Overwatch tactics could give use even more of an edge."

Zero paused for a moment again. They hadn't considered that either. That could boost it into the low 40% range if those who they taught actually listened and took lessons to heart. There was a chance then. One that could possibly prove more fruitful than being forced to go it alone.

"I will accept your offer with a condition." Zero finally spoke. Mokou stood up, but Yukari rose a hand, making the red-eyed woman to sit down begrudgingly.

"What is your condition?" Yukari asked with a lower tone.

"Access to any Union technology we come across." Zero replied. "To increase odds."

Yukari paused for a moment, contemplating that statement before they spoke again.

"Then I propose a condition to your condition." Yukari replied. "That you be supervised while doing such accessing. I can think of the perfect candidate as well."

"Show me." the Elite asked, a hint of curiosity within their mostly emotionless voice. Yukari gestured towards Mokou in a near clinical manner.

"Yo, Kawashiro!" Mokou called out, body swivelling to look at the group behind them.

"E-eh? I'm kinda busy!" a voice replied from within the bowels of the wreckage. Zero noted it was both feminine and quite young-sounding, similar to a teenager's with an almost squeaky quality to it.

"Yakumo needs you for somethin'!" Mokou replied.

"I, uh… fine, gimme a second!" they replied, sounding quite peeved.

"You know raising your voice like that's just going to attract attention to this place, right?" Yukari noted.

Mokou simply chuckled in response, crimson eyes meeting violet for a moment. "Would be a good change of pace. Quiet's making me twitchy."

"Hey! I'm here." came that other voice again, and it's source revealed itself. It was a woman, though just short enough to be confused with a girl. Messy blue hair was barely restrained with a set of pigtails beneath a somewhat damaged green hat., and blue eyes were concealed by a set of safety goggles.

The rest of their outfit was equally as strange. A sleeveless short hung on their torso, layered with a spray-painted CP vest, and even above that, a necklace with a strange key hung around a necklace. This combined with the large pack on their pack and a set of jeans with numerous pockets gave a quite unique image.

"So what was it you…" the girl started before they noticed the presence of Zero. And more specifically, them being stared at.

"Oh… hehehe...if this is about that…" they continued, rubbing the back of their head sheepishly before Zero began to speak.

"What is the voltage needed to override a standard Overwatch console?"

"Eh? Oh, 43.8." the other casually replied.

"Standard radio frequency for Overwatch communication?"

"560 Hz." they replied more quickly.

"Temperature needed to shape standard Union metals?"

"2,350 celsius."

And the two went on for quite a time. Yukari clocked it at around five minutes as Zero pumped out countless questions about the Combine's engineering, standard armaments and other various information.

And the woman Yukari knew as Nitori Kawashiro answered every one, quick and swift. Mokou simply looked to Yukari with a look of 'what have you done?', making Yukari quietly chuckle as the question barrage finally began to slow down.

"Highest impact a standard Overwatch soldier's armor can take?"

".45 magnum, if you're referring to conventional rounds. Different pulse designations are still unclassified on our end." Nitori spoke. A small smile was on their face. It seemed they liked having someone to flex their knowledge at.

Zero finally looked over to Yukari. "They're good enough."

"Pardon, but good enough for what?" Nitori spoke, raising an eyebrow as they looked to Yukari.

"Our friend here has agreed to come with us, on the condition of being able to access Combine technology if we come across it. And you are the perfect candidate for supervising such intrusions." Yukari explained. "I take it you'll have no issues?"

"As long as I get a crack at it too! I love seeing how that stuff ticks!" the apparent engineer's eyes lit up with life as they seemingly thought to the possibilities.

"So then, Zero." Yukari's focus shifted once again. "Is that a deal?"

Zero was silent for a few moments before holding out a gloved hand, one which Yukari promptly shook.

"Yes." Zero spoke. "Now where is my equipment?"

"Oh, it's over where I WAS working on trying to contact White Forest. Follow me." Nitori replied, beckoning Zero as they began to move back towards the wreckage. Zero looked to Yukari once more before following, leaving Mokou and Yukari on their own.

"I still don't get it, Yakumo." Mokou spoke up. "What the hell do you see in that cyclops?"

"Consider it an... experiment of sorts. Plus, consider the boons if it works out." Yukari replied, looking on as they watched Zero and Nitori step into a traincar, also noting the many stares from several rebels at the sight of the former Deathwatch member.

"And if it doesn't?" Mokou asked, leaning on the Immolator in their lap.

Yukari didn't say anything for a few moments, looking to the pyro with a more solemn look.

"Then this war will be far harder to win."

* * *

The blue-haired girl showed Zero to their little makeshift workstation inside the train. A radio sat on one of the seats, humming out a static-laden call. On the next seat over was what drew Zero's attention, however.

His equipment. Both sides of their helmet, their AR2 and Sniper Rifle. Zero approached, optic scanning every inch of the inside of the mask before looking to the engineer.

"You've modified the mask's circuitry." the Elite stated plainly.

"Wha'... how can you tell!?" they looked quite flustered, and Zero's singular optic gazed on and on.

"The seal for the outer layer is on improperly. Explain, engineer."

"Well, you know Combine tech! Some of the only reasons we don't use actual soldier armor is because of all the fail-safes that happen when it's owner dies. Being able to have access to functioning Combine armor, let alone Deathwatch armor? I couldn't resist!" the engineer spoke. "And it's Nitori, thank you."

"You never mentioned your name." Zero replied as they released the outer layer, exposing the interior's numerous circuits.

To most, the amount of circuits within would seem far more than what was required for simple operation of the helmet and interface with the optic, but Zero knew it's workings, and as Nitori pointed out, it's failsafes. They sat, carefully examining the wires.

Nitori blinked. "Oh. Well, um, sorry."

"It is… fine." Zero hesitated on that last word, unsure if it was the proper one. "But do not do so again."

"Okay, okay." Nitori sighed, getting back to work on the radio. Silence filled the car as the two worked diligently on their respective tasks, the only sounds coming from outside.

"What exactly were you trying to do?" Zero asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, well, it's simple." Nitori started. "I was looking for a way to halt the fail-safes on the masks. First I actually looked at the wiring, since before it was all fried whenever I tried to get at it. The next part I can't do 'till we get to White Forest, which is try to recreate the fail-safes, and see if I can't bypass them via a jolt, like with consoles."

"So you attempted to mess with the circuitry to get a better look at it, not guessing that there might be another fail-safe or two for that kind of tampering?"

"Th-there is?" Nitori sounded a little dumbfounded. "What about repairs? That wouldn't make sense if there was.

"Usually one is to get a replacement if heavily damaged or fried. Tampering is not permitted."

"Really? That optic of yours is quite a bit different than others i've had a look at." Nitori countered.

Zero stifled a chuckle at that. "It is, because it's not mine." Zero started. "It was Three's, one of my teammates. She always liked to modify things until they were just right."

"A Combine perfectionist?" Nitori rose an eyebrow.

"You could say that." Zero spoke, reminiscing a bit. "Elites such as myself are allowed a bit more freedom than standard troops. They found it could allow for stronger bonds and better teamwork. Standard troops are fairly disposable."

"Then why don't they give it to the other troops?" the engineer asked, static fading slightly as they worked.

"Of all transhuman soldiers, only 5% make up what you would call 'Deathwatch'. Now consider the fact that I can actually even THINK about joining your… resistance. I can think independently of the Union's will. Standard troops cannot, because if they did…"

"Mutiny?" Nitori questioned, actually glancing towards Zero at the statement.

"Potentially. The Benefactors are paranoid, it's something that even they realize. Hence the numerous failsafes, hence the tighter grip. If every Elite trooper went traitor, they would find themselves horribly outnumbered, to the point where skill wouldn't matter, not to mention the tracking chip like that you removed." Zero explained. "Hence why the risk can be taken, and it pays off. The kill-counts of Elite soldiers is 45% higher than standard before expiration."

"Remind me not to agitate you more. Um, again, i'm sorry." Nitori apologized.

"It is fine, as I said. But back onto topic." the Elite replied. "Modification is prohibited, but Three used a loophole, as the main one who dishes out the punishments for these is the Overwatch AI. It's very likely you heard them back in the city."

"Wait, that was an AI? Sounded almost human to me, aside from the constant usage of clinical terms." Nitori's eyes widened slightly.

"Yes. They could actually be quite amicable on a good day, though I would imagine they went down with the Citadel. Anyways, Three invoked another rule whenever the AI got on their case about it. It's one of the largest and sweeping rules, but it's rarely invoked." Zero started.

"If commanding officers interfere with efficiency of a team or unit, prosecution can be ignored. Now, the important word here is efficiency, since because they could show the AI their equipment and modifications actually have a marked improvement over standard, they literally cannot stop them."

"That sounds like an incredibly loose rule. How was that not abused more?" Nitori questioned.

"Because it was made during the occupation's infancy. It's buried, and thus many Overwatch soldiers don't even know the rule exists." Zero explained, finally finished rearranging the wires and putting back on the seal. "It's also because of Three that I actually know how to correct the helmet's wiring. You two probably would've gotten along."

Nitori's face dropped a little at that last part, putting two and two together. "Condolences."

"Thank you." Zero spoke, finally putting the helmet on, sealing both sides into place with a click before finally arming themselves, putting all the weapons into their appropriate places. They noted the loss of their knife, remembering they dropped it on the roof. Meaning it was likely somewhere buried in the wreckage.

And their sidearm still was likely in the hands of Yukari. They would get it back later. For now, they turned their attention to Nitori's fiddling with the radio. The engineer had one side of it open, trying to get a good signal but failing consecutively.

"Do you require assistance?" Zero asked, voice back to it's normal modulation. Nitori nearly jumped at the sudden change.

"Well, I…" Nitori thought. "What do you think you can do?"

"Utilize my helmet as a signal booster." Zero simply replied. "Even without the tracking chip, it can still access radio signals easily enough."

"Range?" Nitori gave a slight head tilt.

"250 miles." Zero informed.

Nitori gave a whistle. "Damn, I really do need to take a look at that helmet more later."

"If you ask, I can properly walk you through it. Now, move aside." Zero ordered. Nitori moved as Zero twisted one of the side spheres on their head, causing it to open. Nitori simply watched in fascination as they pulled a small cable from it, magnetically attaching to the side of the radio.

"Try now." Zero informed, standing to the side as Nitori looked for the right frequency.

"Hello, hello, White Forest, this is Nitori Kawashiro, reporting from Train #8, do you read?" they started. Nothing but static at first, but eventually garbled voices started to be mixed in, clearing up as Zero adjusted some things.

"-shiro, we- -ead you, do you hear us?" came a voice over the line.

Nitori's face lit up. "Yes, White Forest, we have you. We're reporting from Train #8, we got wrecked due to the explosion, but we're fine mostly. We also had a couple of unexpected visitors when we were leaving."

"Unexpected?" the operator asked.

"One Yukari Yakumo literally dropped onto our train alongside a member of the Combine Deathwatch." Nitori explained. "However, the Elite was far more… amicable than I think we thought. With a bit of… convincing, they've agreed to help us."

"That, um… that probably needs to be reported. I mean, I can understand a CP, but a Deathwatch trooper?"

"You would be surprised." Zero finally spoke up.

The other end of the line went silent for a moment. "They've been listening?"

"I'm their impromptu signal booster for the moment." Zero replied. "You may report whatever you wish about myself."

"Look, operator, could you trace where we are relative to the base? We don't even know."

"I can, you're about… 22 miles due south. You were the second to last train that got out of the city."

"Did the last train even survive?" Nitori questioned.

"We don't know, but it better have, that train had Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance on it!" the operator replied.

"If they survived the explosion at the top of that Citadel, they probably survived the crash, one which was likely far less devastating." Zero added.

"Anyways…" Nitori interrupted. "We lost a fair amount of people, and we've got quite a few more wounded. Medics are tending to them, and we'll likely be on the way over to White Forest soon.

"Alright, i'll send word that you're heading in our direction. Just... be careful. We've gotten word that Overwatch has been pouring Hunters and other scouting parties into the Outlands, quite a few outposts haven't been responding." the operator spoke. "Good luck to all of you, hope you make it here safe."

"You too." Nitori replied. "Kawashiro, signing off."

And with that, the radio shut off.

Nitori breathed in deeply for a moment as Zero disconnected the cable. "Alright, got what I needed, they know we're coming, and we've got a general idea of where we are."

"Progress." Zero noted.

"Very much." Nitori nodded. "Need to get this info out to Yakumo and see if we can't get a timeframe of when to start movin'. Don't know about you, but i'd rather not face Hunters. I've heard some rather… gruesome tales about the things."

"I have seen them in action too. They're very effective." Zero affirmed.

"All the more reason to get moving." Nitori spoke, gathering up some little things and tucking them into the large bag they wore. "Now come on, I don't wanna' be in this train-car if that portal starts spewin' out storms."

Zero simply nodded as they followed the engineer out, leaving the traincar abandoned and empty. Unbeknownst to either, however, a single, small scanner, formerly of City 17, peered through the window, buried in the wreckage beyond the traincar. Despite it's heavily damaged state, it's optic still worked, swivelling and spiralling as it took a picture without flash.

A single picture was all that was needed for Overwatch. Thus, teams were alerted, synths rerouted.

And a hunt for another group of Rebels began.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

Apologize for the wait, but the release of the new WoW expansion distracted me. This is a pretty heavy dialogue chapter. I'm not good with dialogue. At all. That also contributed to the extra time. I'm generally not the most happy with it, but blegh, I never expected the story to get this far off the ground anyways. Next chapter will have more action, which is something I think I might be able to do.


	5. Cauterize

The Outlands were a completely different beast to the city. Zero had never been deployed out here much, leaving them slightly in the dark when it came to this place's dangers. They had been out to the likes of the Wasteland, a nigh endless and growing barren wasteland that coated the North American continent, but here was different.

Sightlines were smaller, cover more numerous than even an urban environment. It was the perfect place for an ambush, and they were reasonably paranoid. The rustle of branches caused their face to twitch, especially as the group was finally beginning to move.

16 rebels, including themselves moved cautiously. Some were still somewhat wounded, but all were armed. Zero and Mokou led the vanguard, Yukari somewhere closer to the middle. The others seemed incredibly nervous around the Elite, especially due to them suggesting group positioning.

Zero saw it as absolutely reasonable, especially due to their continued use of the armor and weaponry from their former post. Regardless, the group pushed on, moving steadily through the forest that seemed to grow thicker and thicker as they continued.

"I didn't think the Outlands were this untouched by the Union." Zero spoke, slightly to ease their own tension and break the silence, if only to speak in a low tone.

"You can still find it here and there, it certainly ain't untouched." Mokou replied. "Mainly comes in the form of that toxic sludge the city pumped out, usually spilled out from the canals. But it ain't just the Combine out here."

"Denizens from Xen." Zero flatly filled in. "I imagine this is where the Antlions came from back in the City."

"Bingo." the long-haired rebel replied. "Tons of nests underground. Not to mention other stuff like the Bullsquids, Houndeyes, Panthereyes, etc, etc. Ate all the wildlife that was here before, replaced it with themselves."

"Unfortunate result of the cascade." Zero replied.

Mokou chuckled. "I think that can be applied to everything that's happened to Earth so far in the last 20 years."

Zero was about to reply, but a sound pierced the air. However, they could tell right away it wasn't just a normal sound. It wasn't something just heard, but felt, their body practically resonating as it occurred. Then, another answered it back.

Listening to it, as strange as it was, it almost sounded like a conversation as two more similar sounds pierced the air. But with the way it was heard, they practically couldn't pinpoint a direction it came from. It certainly wasn't subtle, but they could see it's uses immediately due to that effect.

As it settled, they merely looked to Mokou, who had a look of confusion on their face. "Was that a mating call or somethin'?"

"Vortigaunts." came Yukari's familiar voice as they moved forward. "They speak of assisting Alyx Vance. Apparently they were severely injured."

"Shit." Mokou mumbled. "Wait, you know Vortigaunt?"

"It is a… skill I acquired a long time ago." Yukari spoke with a slight hesitance.

"How long?" Zero inquired.

Yukari blew a little breath out of their nose, closing their eyes for a moment before looking to the Elite. "Another time. We must keep moving. Getting caught out here would be a death sentence if they really are sending out Hunters en masse."

Zero paused for a moment before nodding, turning back towards the front as they gestured for the group behind to start moving again. And hesitantly, they obeyed, the group moving back into formation as they trudged through the thick forest.

* * *

It wasn't until another twenty minutes that they reached an actual clearing, Zero calling for the group to hold as they peered onward.

A surprisingly large building sat within the clearing. It looked old and abandoned, husks of ancient cars still parked in it's outside lot. From it's large and industrial appearance, they could easily assume it was formerly a factory of some description. Zero and Mokou crouched in the brush surrounding the building, Zero looking for any signs of movement as the rest of the group too got low to the ground, forming a more tight-knit pattern.

"Do any of you know of this place?" Zero glanced back to the members behind them. Most shrugged or shook their heads, but one came forward a little.

"I think I do." the male Rebel spoke. "I think we might've had an outpost here, or nearby, at least."

"Had?" Zero slightly tilted their head.

The rebel shrugged. "Dunno anymore. With the reports of Hunters around, we can't tell if it's dead or not. Think it might've been the outlying base for the outpost down in the mines below us."

Zero paused for a moment, thinking it through. "Thank you…"

"Aaron." the Rebel filled in.

"Thank you, Aaron." Zero spoke, looking back to the factory building that loomed over the surrounding trees. "I think it may be worth investigating, if only to check on this possible outpost."

"I agree." Nitori spoke up a little from their position near the back. "Even if it was taken out, they probably have communication equipment. Would be best to affirm the loss of the outpost to White Forest."

"However, it wouldn't be wise to send everyone in." Zero added. "A majority should stay back here. If a trap is sprung, get out of here and get to White Forest if you can."

"How should we do this, then?" Mokou asked.

"Majority should be left back here, and if Combine appear in any manner, flee." Zero started. "Nitori knows more about Rebel communication equipment than I do. If a trap is sprung, additional firepower may be required to survive."

"I can torch Hunters, i'm pretty sure." Mokou spoke up with a slightly proud look as they glanced to their Immolator.

"True. Immolators are known for such things." Zero stated, looking to the group before their eyes settled on Yukari. "And you should come as well."

Yukari rose an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Several reasons." Zero started. "Union seemingly wants you. If so, if a trap is sprung, all attention will be put on our group, allowing the others to escape."

"And as for us?" Yukari countered.

"Surprisingly, I find the chances against Overwatch forces to be higher than Rebel ones, because if they want you as a prisoner, then they'll be holding back in terms of lethal force."

"So you want to make the group that goes in a tantalizing enough piece of bait that they might be pulling their punches?" Nitori asked.

"Yes." Zero flatly replied.

"That's…" Yukari seemed to take a moment to think, closing their eyes for a moment before looking back to Zero. "Actually not a terrible plan."

"Sounds counterproductive to me." Mokou scoffed. "The equivalent of puttin' all your eggs in one basket."

"Ah, but Mrs. Fujiwara, you must know that if such a case happens, the eggs are often handled even more delicately than usual." Yukari replied. "Now, who has spare weaponry? I believe it wouldn't do well to do such a thing with just a USP."

A couple offers went up, and Yukari chose the SPAS-12 from the lot, getting several extra reserves as well.

"So, that's 4 going in, and…" Yukari did a headcount. "12 waiting here."

"Perhaps we could use one or two more to cover the entrance." Zero suggested. "Volunteers?"

While Yukari got immediate offers, people seemed far more hesitant to volunteer for the Elite's offer.

"I'll reiterate it for ya'." Mokou started, narrowing her eyes at the group. "Who IS going to volunteer? Because I don't enjoy dying as much as the next person, despite what many would claim."

Several hands immediately rose. Mokou brushed off most of them, choosing some ones they knew were dependable, due to their extended time with the group.

"Good." Zero said, adjusting the AR2 in their arms. "Now let's move."

The others nodded, while the remaining rebels adjusted their position as the group of six exposed themselves, moving into the building's large parking lot.

As the building neared, Zero's optic could see every minute detail. Tiny cracks were beginning to form in the building's walls, a small spiderweb grown from disuse that was slowly growing further and further.

As they approached the main doors, they could see the countless remnants of fingerprints which had opened them, and with a quick scan, they could tell the last use had been a week prior.

The group leaned against both sides of the double doors, and with a nod from Zero, they opened them quickly, weapons raised as several eyes slightly widened at the scene inside.

Rebels littered the floor. Some killed by bullet or pulse, others by knife. Actual bullet holes on the surrounding walls were few, leading Zero to believe that the job had been done quick and clean, before they could even react. Light streamed in from windows above, sun-baking some of the bodies and more easily revealing some of their infestation with maggots.

"Fuck, that's a smell I wish I were less familiar with." Mokou's nose twitched in disgust.

"They've been rotting." Zero immediately replied. "Hard to say if Overwatch is still around."

"L-let's do this fast anyways." Nitori spoke, clearly unnerved by the smell and bloody scene before them.

Zero scanned the room, optic settling on a set of monitors in the corner, supplemented with radios and other various pieces of circuitry lying about. "There. Check if there's still power. If not, I can supplement. Others, be on guard, watch for any movement or sound. Watch the doorway especially."

"Right." Nitori replied quickly, moving over as they tried to brush the smell out of their mind as the two Rebels took position at the door, Yukari, Mokou and Zero scanning the areas as they kept their weapons at the ready as the engineer looked to the equipment.

"Okay, this actually isn't that badly damaged. I think there's still some power left over." Nitori started as they booted up the set of monitors. "Hold on…"

The monitors came to life, as well as several other lights in the room. "Alright, I think i've got it! I think they must've had a backup generator."

Zero moved over to the monitors, optic still glancing around as the engineer adjusted the signal.

"Alright, here goes." Nitori cleared her throat. "White Forest, this is Nitori Kawashiro, come in."

The static of the radios seemed to grow rather than lessen, however. But then the screens flickered, something coming into view. Nitori's eyebrow rose until the monitors all flashed on at once, a strange, almost insect-like noise erupting from it's crude speakers as the distinctive image of what the Resistance knew as an Advisor watched on.

"Shit, it IS a trap!" Nitori scrambled as the monitors shut off at once. The Rebels tried to move for the door, but found their way blocked as a Combine forcefield immediately turned on.

"Alert." came a voice, something similar to Overwatch's AI, yet colder, near mechanical and with a very distinctive echo as it sounded throughout the forest. "Biotics confirmed in Outland sector A5. Subject Gap engaged. Lazarus Subprime engaged. Kappa Prime engaged. Clamp, Restrain. Further biotic signatures detected. Expunge."

"I thought that AI went down with the Citadel?" Yukari wondered, surprisingly calm despite the circumstances.

"Backup. 80% of it's functionality with 20% form." Zero replied as the echoes of a dropship could be heard emanating from outside.

"I do hope you've thought of a plan further than this, cyclops." Mokou gritted her teeth slightly.

"Head further into the factory. If this was an outpost, it is likely there may still be supplies here. Perhaps even emplacements. Forcefield is also likely connected to a temporary dark fusion generator. We solve that, we get out of here."

"Then let's stop talkin' and get movin'!" Mokou nearly yelled, moving towards the other set of doors within the factory floor. They wasted no time in kicking them open, revealing a longer room.

Conveyor belts moved to and fro through the room, a practically vertical maze of conveyors and side passages leading up, but Zero more noted many of the lower conveyors as half-decent cover as they sealed the doors behind them, locking the soft metal to buy a slight amount of time.

At the end of the room lied something very much of note, however. A single elevator, an industrial yellow design making itself distinct against the backdrop of gray, black and rust.

"That looks promising!" Nitori spoke up.

"Better than the alternative!" Mokou shouted. "Move for it!"

The group of six jogged quickly as the windows shattered above, standard Overwatch soldiers rappelling down from the roof, forcing a couple of rebels to shield their heads as shattered glass went everywhere.

Despite this, MP7 and AR2 fire filled the air as Rebels and former Elite alike fired at the rapidly descending troops, killing most before they hit the ground, Yukari ending the last one's life before they got to any sort of cover.

"Alright, the elevator!" Nitori called out, trying to calm herself a little. "Seems like it's lacking power."

"God damnit, really?" Mokou breathed out in irritation.

"It's okay, it's not useless! Those lights turning on back in the first room means this place still has some power! I just got to look at the power for this room."

Yukari noted the upper floor for this elevator seemed surprisingly low and accessible, and if one got on top of the elevator…

"Zero, try to boost Nitori to the top of the elevator. They should be able to climb up from there." Yukari suggested.

"I… I think I can do somethin' up there, maybe." Nitori spoke, somewhat calming down. Zero merely nodded to the statement, holstering the AR2 and getting in a position to boost them up.

Nitori moved towards them, Zero's somewhat increased strength easily able to hoist them up to allow them to stand on their shoulders, allowing the engineer access to the top of the elevator, and with a little work, get themselves to the second floor.

"Alright, just hold here, i'll see if if can't see what the problem is!" Nitori rose her voice above the sounds of the incoming dropships.

"Be damn careful up there, Kawashiro." Mokou called up.

"I will!" Nitori spoke as they moved on the walkway above, moving into the rooms above as the sounds of further dropships echoed forth.

"So, how long do you calculate that door will hold?" Yukari asked as they got to cover.

"Two seconds, tops." Zero unholstered their Sniper Rifle, finding that it's High power may be needed here as their sensitive auditory sensors detected incoming footsteps.

The far door beeped. Zero could easily surmise they had set a charge, likely to give them the cover of smoke to work with as they poured in.

However, as the beeping got faster and the Elite took aim down the scope, they saw the flaw in the plan.

He could see through smoke.

The door blew apart an instant later, and a shot went out immediately, the mask of a standard trooper doing nothing against the rifle's accelerated pulse munitions. MP7 fire roared right after, damaging several soldiers as the group went low for cover.

Mokou, however, didn't seem to care about such things, moving into the fray by leaping atop the conveyors, her Immolator spitting a stream of lime-green death as plastic, metal and kevlar melted and fused with flesh, making for a gruesome result to all on the wrong end of the beam.

Even with the devastation inflicted to the initial wave, however, further moved in. Bullets flew through the fading smoke, bullets impacting into Mokou, who grit their teeth hard, falling back behind cover, red bleeding into their standard blue civilian clothing and vest.

Zero casually tossed over their emergency vial right after they fired off another round.

"Don't… don't need it as much as you think cyclops." Mokou spoke as they leaned against the conveyor, blood dripping to the floor as they breathed in and out with ragged breaths. "Shoulda' guessed they wouldn't hold back on me."

Zero didn't seem too concerned however, taking out another trooper as Yukari's SPAS-12 drowned out much of the room's ambient noise.

"There's something you're not telling me." Zero asked, a very small glance in their direction before resuming their firing pattern, the combined fire from nearly all hands keeping the soldiers at bay. "Because you shouldn't be talking right now, let alone moving."

Mokou let out a laugh, interrupted by a cough of blood. "You Overwatch catch on fast."

"Observation is a primary goal of mine." the Elite replied. "I do hope that engineer of yours is nearly finished."

Mokou breathed in and out more steadily, despite being covered in her own blood. "Patience, cyclops. Lemme' buy some more time."

"I'm expecting a explanation after this." Zero spoke somewhat more loudly, their sentence ending with the ping of their rifle clipping a soldier's helmet, leaving the victim exposed enough for their teammates to finish off.

"You'll get one!" Mokou spoke as they vaulted over the conveyor, a line of plasma streaming across the line, several troopers retreating as comrades collapsed into corroding, barely recognizable cadavers. This followed by a grenade from one of the other two rebels forced them fully out of the room for a moment.

"Alert." once again, the voice of Overwatch made itself known. "Possible malignant infection of high-ranking Overwatch personnel detected. Use of synthetic bioweapons is authorized. Code: displace, clamp, cauterize."

"Looks like they found you, Zero." Yukari noted, ducking behind cover as they slotted in shell after shell.

"Which means we're exceptionally low on time before we become overwhelmed." Zero noted. "If they realize that I'm not just a Rebel in a stolen suit, then their priorities shift."

"Cauterize." Yukari spoke as they finished loading the shells, pumping the first in. "To stem further infection of personnel."

Zero was about to speak, but then the battlefield changed. Light wasn't just streaming through the ceiling now, but the lights above had turned on, and the belts of their makeshift cover began to move once more.

"Told you to be patient!" Mokou spoke as the sound of rapid feet above quickly revealed Nitori to drop down.

"Sorry about the wait, they're trying to send them through up there, too!" Nitori spoke as they dropped to ground level.

"Does the elevator go down?" Zero quickly asked before the troops outside regrouped.

"I did see a floor schematic upstairs. It does, but I don't know to where." Nitori commented.

"Anywhere's better than here." Mokou spoke, getting on the elevator. "Now get on. Now."

With little hesitation did the others follow, the group of six barely fitting into the elevator as they hit it's button. The elevator groaned in response as troopers began to move in, but regardless the elevator went down.

No light illuminated the tunnel, leaving them in close to complete darkness. Most could feel their breath on one another

But then the elevator suddenly stopped and groaned once more in defiance of it's passengers.

The group's eyes widened, looking upwards as the very distinctive sound of a wire snapping occurred.

"Fuck, hold on everybody!" Mokou called out as the elevator plummeted.

And then that darkness became final and absolute for all.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

And that's a wrap for this chapter. Could've made it longer, but I have plans for next chapter, and this seemed a perfect stopping point (i'm not the most happy with how it turned out, but oh well).

Plus it's my birthday, so consider this as my gift to you lot instead, since i'm not getting much.

I may as well talk about the reviews. Yes, I have read them several times, and no, despite my own insecurities about my work (which I do appreciate the compliments, thank you very much, i'd love to see more reviews, especially longer ones like Valdisk's) I will attempt continue this story to it's conclusion, however bad it may be or how negative I may feel about my own writing.

As for what may come next, expect explanations, explorations, and the reason why that outpost was wiped out in such a fast manner.


	6. Elucidate

Once again, Zero's systems booted up. Damage was mostly minor, their helmet taking the brunt of the blow. After having sustained damaged before, the systems were surprisingly quicker to boot up. Their eye lit up, finding themselves looking at a ground of dirt.

They groggily pushed themselves off the ground as a sound caught their auditory sensors. They swiveled around to find the elevator, it's cage mostly a wreck, and to it's side, leaning on a support was Mokou, lighting a cigarette. However, what Zero immediately noticed that they weren't using a lighter, but rather their bare thumb.

"How?" Zero merely asked.

Mokou was silent for a few moments as they took a drag, blowing out a puff of smoke before looking to Zero.

"Magic." Mokou explained. "N' I should've guessed you'd be the first up."

Upon realizing this, they glanced to their side, finding the rest of the group. However, one of them was very notably bleeding from their skull. One of the rebels for whom they knew of no name.

"She died near instantly." Mokou offered with a somewhat more melancholy tone as they seemed to relax themselves with the nicotine. "Nothing I could do to save her. Other's injuries weren't as bad. Used that vial you gave me to supplement the rest.

"Did you know them?" Zero asked as they slid down the opposite wall, sitting down and using the chance to rest their legs.

"A bit." Mokou started. "Her name was Natalie. Couldn't have been more than 23. She helped supplement the escape from 17. Before you arrived, shit was escalating. Luckily that Freeman guy drew a large portion of their attention, but the response was still pretty bad. She was a good shot, and a quick thinker."

"You don't seem the most hurt by their death." Zero noted.

Mokou breathed in, giving out a sigh before narrow eyes met Zero's singular one.

"Look, 'Zero'. Do you realize how many people have died today? Something like well over 50,000, considering that explosion of the Citadel. Combine that with sleep deprivation, and you've got a huge broth of just not being able to give a fuck anymore." Mokou explained. "Can't bury them. Don't have the time, nor the room or supplies. Barely have time to mourn. As soon as we're all up, we've gotta' move."

"Understandable." Zero gave. "Though I believe you still owe me an explanation, especially considering what you did a minute ago."

Mokou rolled her eyes, a clear look of displeasure on her face. "It's gonna' be a long explanation. If you're wondering how I survived back there, and how i'm looking pretty pristine, considering all the shit that's happened… simple truth is that i'm immortal."

"Full immortality?" Zero asked, voice hinting to incredulousness.

"Yep." Mokou responded simply. "Can't fully die if I wanted to. Cut me down, rip me apart, atomize me, I still come back."

"How?" the Elite questioned.

"An elixir I drank a long, long time ago. Not exactly sure on the specifics, but I believe it was something similar to making me a fundamental law of reality or somethin' similar." Mokou elaborated.

"I would guess you're the one the AI referred to as Lazarus Subprime, then." Zero asked.

"Yep. Fuckin' stupid name, but it's fitting, I guess. Never read much into that Bible." Mokou replied.

"Who is the Prime, then?"

"There's three of us immortals. The one that'd probably be the Prime is the one who made the elixir." Mokou clarified. "Name ain't important, since you're probably not gonna' meet 'em."

"Is this… immortality also the cause for you to be able to sprout flame?" Zero correlated.

"I told you that it's magic, cyclops. I wasn't kidding or beating around the bush." Mokou started, sighing. "You Combine still keep tryin' to explain everything away as science though. Certainly doesn't help the few magic users left."

Zero was quiet for a moment, processing the information they were just given. "Because magic doesn't exist."

Mokou lit another flame on their finger, moving from her spot and sticking it right up to Zero's visor. "Explain this then, cyclops."

"Psionic capabilities." Zero fired back.

One of Mokou's eyes simply twitched as the silver-haired woman slapped her own face with a hand. "For the love of… fuck, you Overwatch are denser than the sun."

"Then explain in finer detail than just 'magic', because that explanation is not going to pass for me." Zero spoke in a lower voice.

Mokou's eyes narrowed before they heaved a great sigh, moving back to their spot on the wall before speaking. "Magic's a force based partially on belief, cyclops. The reason you don't see me castin' more than a few sparks is because I can't, since nobody out here believes in it. Used to be like that for a lot of things, 'till people started bringin' science into everything, thinking all this shit wasn't real or possible."

"Something akin to a collective consciousness?"

"Something like that? It's not hard to understand. No believers, no magic. Simple as that." Mokou quickly responded as they flicked away used cigarette ashes.

"And what of your friends? Do they possess this magic as well?" Zero asked.

"Yep. Well, they did, but it hit them harder than me."

"Why?" Zero's voice piqued with curiosity.

"Simple. The magic was part of them. I just learned it. When our home got exposed during the war, most died because of that. Like strippin' away someone's body parts, they just couldn't adjust in time." Mokou explained.

"Home?"

"Yeah. It was called Gensokyo. Land sealed behind a magic barrier to keep most people out and the magic and belief in. Was essentially a preserve for magic and creatures known as youkai."

"Yokai? You're now referring to demons?" Zero's incredulous tone grew even more obvious.

"Nah, too specific. It's a blanket term. Any shit you'd consider originatin' from myths or legends. Ghosts, yes, demons, along with werewolves, vampires, shit like that, you know?"

"That's insane." Zero's voice sounded a bit off from it's normal professional tone at that statement.

"Well, it would be if we weren't standing next to two of 'em."

Zero's optic glanced to the three who still lived, the two of which they were acquainted with assuredly standing out.

"I supposed that is the explanation for their strange features?"

"Yep. They'd shapeshift or somethin' similar on a normal case to try and blend in more, but they lost that with the lack of magic. I can do sparks at least, but them? Nothin'. S'why most youkai are dead now. Only ones alive are those who could adapt. Nitori and the rest of the kappa were always good with tech, so they were quick learners."

"And Yakumo?" Zero asked, optic focusing on the still unconscious woman.

"Complicated. I'll just leave it that she's old. Fuck if I know how much, but she's older than me and she's one of the founders of Gensokyo, and that happened something like 1,200 years ago. The loss of magic hit her really, really hard. Might've had a deeper connection than most. But she got out on pure experience and wisdom alone."

"Connection? You spoke as if this magic was based on faith alone."

"Firstly, I said _partially_ based on faith. Secondly, going into magic theory would take us all day. That shit's way, way too complicated for my liking, and Yakumo would be able to answer you better anyways."

"Have you attempted to wake them up?" Zero spoke, shifting the subject.

"Yeah, but they weren't budging." Mokou explained. "And Yukari sleeps like the dead. Not as bad as they were before, but…"

Zero moved over, shaking Yukari's sleeping form, the sounds of grogginess coming from their person.

"An-another five… minutes, Ran…" they mumbled idly before Zero shook them even harder. A hand came over to weakly bat them away.

"Yukari. Up." Zero spoke near their head. Eyes opened slowly, blinking twice as they realized the red glow of the optics was above their head.

"Oh. Should have guessed that I was asleep." Yukari finally spoke as they rubbed their eyes, pushing themselves off the ground as they observed their surroundings.

"Bottom of the shaft?" Yukari asked, stabilizing themselves against a wall.

"Yes." Zero replied.

"Injuries?" Yukari asked as they got their bearings, a vague dizziness making things a bit blurry.

"One dead." Zero clinically spoke.

"One of the others we called with us?" Yakumo's voice sounded lower.

"Yes." the Elite flatly replied.

Yukari was quiet for a few moments, violet eyes finally catching sight of the corpse and holding position for a moment before shifting back to the two before them. "...And the other?"

"They're stable, but you all probably got a concussion or two." Mokou added from afar.

"Explains the blurriness… What else has happened since I was out?"

"I started to give 'em the explanation." Mokou replied.

"Oh." Yukari started, looking to the Elite. "I'm going to take a wild guess. You've heard what they've said, and believe them to be insane." Yukari guessed.

"With tinges of truth, but generally yes." Zero affirmed.

"How far did you get, Mokou?" Yukari asked.

"I talked about magic, youkai, and a bit on where we came from."

"Ah, the basics." Yukari replied. "What I can say is that yes, magic is real, and yes, me and Nitori are not perfectly human."

"If this is the case, then why doesn't the Combine know of this… magic?"

"Zero, who said that they don't? If they gave you the basics, then you know that magic's partially based on belief. Who's to say they don't purposefully spread the fact that it doesn't exist as a way to weaken those who have it?" Yukari explained. "That, and if they didn't know of magic, then they never would have been able to find Gensokyo."

"They tracked you via magic?" Zero sounded even more skeptical than before.

"Yes. Gensokyo's barrier was entirely made of it. It wasn't a physical barrier. You could pass in and out of it, but the effects allows it to be shrouded and disorient anyone who tried to get in. And if they did, some youkai would likely eat them." Yukari replied swiftly.

"So if they know of magic, then it's likely that they've destroyed or incorporated magical races within themselves." Zero spoke, their optic not exactly looking at the other two, simply trying to process all this.

"Possibly. I do not know on that front unfortunately. What I do know is that you've dealt with one other magical race on this planet."

Zero was silent for a few moments, before their optic focused right back onto Yukari, seeming even more menacing than previous as their voice lost all emotion again. "Vortiguants are not magical."

"Psionics can explain half of the shit they do, sure." Mokou spoke up. "But they can _alter the flow of time_ when focused and in a group. That shit ain't psionics, no matter how you put it."

"Their Vortessence is what we call magic. It's connected to everything, but latent in most. The Vortigaunts have special kinds of organs that allow them to attune to magic directly. They can physically see it and interact with it." Yukari explained.

"Combine that with their devotion and belief in their Vortessence, and they've got some serious magical capabilities, even nowadays." Mokou finished.

"And their affinity for lightning is magic too, I would guess?" Zero filled in.

"Nope." Mokou replied. "That's almost all them."

"They have large amounts of excess electricity stored within their nervous systems. They have outputs within their hands to be able to release some of it. The magic can help shape it, however." Yukari continued.

Zero was silent for a time, head lowered somewhat again as their optic dimmed. "Does this even change anything? If it were science instead of magic, would it change the scenario?"

"Nada." Mokou started. "It don't change shit, unless we get our mojo back somehow. There's still Combine, there's still a big fuck-off hole in the sky forming to gods know where, and we're still in some kind of connection to a mineshaft."

"Then we leave it there for now." Zero's voice returned to it's standard cold nature, any curiosity or disbelief set aside as they finally got around to picking their rifles off the ground.

"Did you scout the surroundings at all?" Zero asked, optic brightening once more.

"A bit. Place is mostly tunnel ahead. If that fella was tellin' the truth, this is probably the way they used to deliver ore from the mine." Mokou theorized.

"That mine could be our way out." Zero added. "We need to wake the others. Overwatch are still possibly zeroing in on our location."

"Allow me." Yukari offered, moving between the remaining two unconscious rebels. They rubbed their hands together before a making a large clap between their heads. The two practically jumped at the sudden noise.

"Ugh…. Yakumo, I told you not to do tha'..." Kawashiro muttered while the other simply mumbled as they got up.

"Normally, I wouldn't, however, we're low on time. We need to move." Yukari spoke more seriously.

Nitori rubbed her eyes, looking around until her eyes settled on the corpse near to them. "We.. oh no."

"If it's any consolation, they likely died instantly." Mokou added.

"N...not reassuring, Mokou." Nitori spoke, uncomfortable with it in their presence.

"How fucked are we?" the other rebel finally spoke up.

"If the Combine find us, there is a reasonable chance we could be captured or die." Zero informed. "But I don't intend to let that occur."

"No shit, Sherlock." Mokou chuckled darkly, hefting their Immolator. "Now let's get moving."

On that, everyone gave a nod, curt and serious. The other body was left there, the last and soon to be eaten reminder of their presence in this place.

* * *

The five moved through the tunnels ahead of them, a mixture of natural cave and industrial supports, lit by a flimsy-looking set of wires and lights on the ceiling above.

It was eerily quiet, the only sound being their footsteps of the five as they moved through the increasingly less industrialized labyrinth before them. Mokou and Zero stood at the front, being the most heavily armed of the group.

The bends and corridors of the increasingly natural tunnels were numerous, seemingly endless. However, a distinctly different light was ahead. Some believed it to be daylight, for it's distinctive blue was tantalizing considering how long they had been down here.

However, Zero knew that their elevation had barely risen. They were still underground. The Elite rose a hand, the group stopping.

"Artificial,not natural." Zero spoke quietly to the other, moving around the corner to find the source.

Industrial floodlights sat on the ground. Zero quickly recognized them as Union-made. The lights flanked a large metal door, the standard for most installations. They were large, bulky, and known for moving in segments.

"Combine fortification. No mounts for cameras or turrets." Zero called back, and the rest approached the door.

"No defenses other than a lock? That's not like the Combine." Nitori noted.

"Real defenses and cameras are likely on the inside. We're in the Outland and underground." Zero explained.

"Antlions." Mokou answered. "Even with thumpers, you really wouldn't want to attract their attention down here. Risky move if this is a base."

"The base does explain the quick response and massacre above, however." Yukari noted.

"So, what do we do then?" the other rebel spoke. "You said our odds weren't good if they found us."

"Correct. Our chances are higher if we fight on our own terms, however. It's likely that this place has an exit through here. We can likely bypass any security measures they throw at us." Zero clarified.

"Still risky, but better than staying in these tunnels." Nitori spoke up, moving to the front as they dug a EMP device out, moving next to the lock.

"Ready?" Nitori asked. Zero's AR2 was at the ready, Mokou hefting her Immolator in position for quick firing as the Elite nodded.

Two prongs rose, an an electrical arc fried the lock. The multiple segments of the door opened, Zero and Mokou heading up the group as they headed inside, every person at the ready.

Inside was something Zero was used to, but surprised to see this far out.

The inside was completely converted to Union-make. Most outposts outside of the cities still had parts from previous owners. This level of industrialization meant they were dug in, and had been here for a while.

Yet even stranger was the continued lack of cameras or turrets. A simple entry room greeted them, the distinctive glow of Combine monitors lightning up the room.

Zero lowered their weapon for a moment, moving over to one of the consoles. Their fingers moved quickly across it's mechanisms as the monitor began to show data.

"What are you looking for?" Yukari asked as they looked over Zero's shoulder, her eyes still looking out for any incoming Combine.

"A map. I need to see where we are and where the quickest way to the surface is." Zero spoke. Screens flicked on and off until they found what they were looking for.

"Got it." Zero spoke, and the map covered the screen. Several sets of eyes widened. This wasn't an outpost.

This was a full-on Combine base. A large, mostly vertical thing, countless rooms for storage, for creation of weapons, armor, and even synths.

"Holy shit, this place looks bigger than Prospekt." Mokou spoke as they looked to the screen.

"But where's the security? Why haven't we been overrun or detected already?" Nitori seemed confused.

"I think I may have an idea." Yukari spoke. "Can you check how old this base is, and perhaps it's current population?"

Zero began working quickly again, and another screen came up. The base was only a month old, and the current amount of people in the base was around 300.

"They must've been making this during the Uprising... No wonder there's no turrets, they haven't had the time to get around to it!" Nitori realized.

"A rushed conversion. As for the population, with the size of this base, there should be many more personnel. This seems like a skeleton crew." Zero affirmed.

"Unless they're somewhere else right now." the other rebel spoke.

Eyes widened again.

"White Forest." several spoke up.

"Shit, shit, shit." Mokou swore. "What the fuck do we do?"

"The base is currently under low security and a skeleton crew. There may be only five of us, but this could be the chance to destabilize their control here." Zero spoke, flicking back to the map. A long central shaft ran through the entire complex, flanked by many production facilities.

"I see two options. One, we shut off the power to the Thumper systems, flood them with Antlions. That makes our escape dangerous. Or, the high-risk, high-reward option." Zero started, zooming in on one production facility in question.

Synth production. "We hijack their synth production line, and take the base for the Resistance. 300 is still a lot of forces, but those could easily be equalized with an entire production line of Hunters on our side. It also makes them trying to retake the base a nightmare in terms of resources needed."

"An army of Rebel-controlled synths? I knew they were bio-mechanical, but I don't think that's ever been done before." Nitori spoke up.

"Has it been tried?" Zero inquired.

"Considering the protection around something like that… no, no it hasn't." Nitori admitted.

"I believe between the two of us, it can be done. There's a central elevator in the center of the shaft. We take that right down to the line, and we could turn the tide." Zero confirmed.

"The central elevator is likely going to draw a lot of attention. And once the Combine know where we are…" Yukari noted.

"They might draw forces back here. That's why I said it was risky. But the central shaft is the fastest way down." Zero replied. "What are we going with, now that we know?"

The rest of the group seemingly thought for a moment. Mokou was the first to speak. "I'm in with the Synth plan. If it means flechettes going into people that ain't us, i'm all for it."

"I'm in too." Nitori spoke up. "The things we could do if we can manage this… it outweighs the risk, assuredly!"

"If you fellows are up to it, then i'll chip in too." the other rebel spoke, hefting their SMG with determination in their eyes.

Yukari made a hmph sound, her eyes meeting Zero's optic. "Though your last plan wasn't exactly the most successful, the implication if this can be done… Perhaps we could finally be on a full offensive. I trust in you."

Zero quickly downloaded the map to their helmet, shutting off the console. "Then we are in agreement. Let's see what kind of response we can stir up."

The rest nodded, the group beginning to move as Nitori opened the next door.

And the group began their journey to the base's dark heart.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 _Oh god, it's been two months. Once again, my shittiness comes out, now in the form of time management, procrastination, rewriting, me being terrible at dialogue and just generally being distracted. This is why I try to do stories fast, because if I don't, my drive completely sputters and dies on me, even if I don't desire it to._

 _But I didn't lie last chapter. I WILL finish this story, and it's climax is soon approaching. I apologize for the wait, and will try to get the next chapter out sooner._

 _Once again, I apologize for being a terrible writer. I would've made this longer, but I felt the need to get SOMETHING out to you fellows. Stay tuned for action coming up. Lots of action. Might be almost the whole chapter, actually._

 _PS: To add to my terrible record, I actually forgot a section of the last chapter. So, maybe go back if you want more of my bad writing and an idea of the time-frame this is occurring._


	7. Sterilize

The first thing Yukari noticed was the sheer scale of this place. Seeing it on a map is one thing, but as the group headed down a corridor, glass lining the sides showing the huge central chamber, the fact that they could build such a structure in such a short time once again put the Universal Union back into perspective.

The central chamber was a huge tower, burrowing deep into the earth. Numerous bridges connected parts of the facility to it, like a spider-web of connections, all leading to this central pillar. Yukari's mind wandered to some of the original scouting they had done on Citadels shortly after the Seven-Hour War, and what they were seeing was eerily similar.

Thumper systems were lined vertically down the walls, their steady beat of seismic activity keeping the nearby Antlion nest at bay, an almost music-like rhythm to their pounding. They were taken out of their thoughts as the group came to a stop at a corner. Zero did a small peek before looking back to the group, raising four fingers.

The meaning was near instantly figured. Four soldiers around the corner. Zero readied the AR2 in their hands, counting down the fingers before moving around the corner.

A small control center of some sorts awaited them, the soldiers on various terminals, and certainly not prepared for an AR2 firing into two, near instantly killing the pair.

Yukari then followed, her SPAS turning another soldier's head into pulp.

The last, who actually had a small amount of time to react pulled their USP, but Zero answered it with a final trio of pulses.

Thus, the area fell silent as the rest moved in. the other rebel picked up an AR2 off of the bodies, dropping the MP7 in exchange as Zero and Nitori moved over to a terminal.

"We can control the central elevator's movement from here, I think." Nitori spoke as they took out an override tool, zapping the terminal's keypad with a precise voltage to open it up before beginning to type.

"Okay, yep. I'll bring it up to us. This is probably going to cause some attention." Nitori added.

"Do it." Zero replied. Nitori merely nodded, as the sound of the elevator's mechanism began.

And not but two seconds later, the nearest intercom sounded.

"Alert. Primary elevator shaft activated without authorization. Deploy, diagnose, dissect." came the echoing and quite loud voice of Overwatch's backup AI.

"Nitori and I will cover the rear. Yukari, Mokou, cover each of the tunnels beside the elevator door." Zero started, looking to the rebel.

"What is your name?" Zero plainly asked.

"Abraham." they answered quickly.

"Abraham, you give support to whichever tunnel needs the most help." Zero ordered.

Everyone in the group nodded, getting to positions as the elevator continued to move. Quiet was followed by the sounds of footsteps, along with the distinct noise that Combine soldiers made when moving.

Yukari's side was the first to get troops, the first being blown away with a double barreled shot. Abraham moved over, supplementing their occasional booms with controlled bursts of dark-energy infused pulses.

Zero and Nitori's avenue became active next as the sound of an alarm blared, the two firing in turn as they covered each other's reloads.. Zero knew what the alarm meant. The threat to the facility was now fully confirmed. They would be begin pulling whatever or whoever they could to deal with the issue. In a base like this, that response was usually swift and lethal. Thus, even with the lowered personnel, they still had to move fast.

"ETA on the elevator?" Zero questioned. The blue-haired youkai leaned over while she reloaded.

"A minute at worst, thirty seconds at best!" Nitori called over the gunfire.

Zero mentally grimaced. That means there was easily enough time for them to be overwhelmed. Mokou's tunnel filled with green light as soldiers were melted to a cinder, and Yukari's rang of numerous buckshot, Abraham filling the gaps of their long reloads with MP7 fire.

Zero counted the seconds in their head, and they could hear the elevator approaching. However, another sound caught their attention. Heavy footsteps. Footsteps they knew all too well.

"Hunter inbound." Zero spoke firmly.

"In here?! There's no room to maneuver, we'll be shredded!" Nitori spoke up.

Zero's thoughts calculated, and what would normally be a quite stupid idea came up in their head.

"Does anybody have a grenade?"

"I have three, catch!" Abraham replied, Zero stowing the AR2 for a moment as they caught the incoming grenade easily.

"Nitori, back away from the hallway for a moment." Zero ordered. Nitori did so, but kept her weapon raised towards it. The triple thump-thump-thump of the Hunter approached rapidly, and right before it rounded the corner, Zero pulled the pin of the grenade, taking a step forward and shoving the grenade bottom first into one of the Hunter's infamous flechette-firing holes.

The hunter nearly made a squealing noise at the action, completely confused by the act, which as the beeping of the grenade grew more rapid, Zero punctuated it with a kick, sending the Hunter stumbling back into the wall before the Elite pulled themselves behind the nearest wall.

The explosion caused ringing ears as it detonated, a frenzied, garbled screech halfway getting out of the synth before the systems completely failed. The entire central body of the Hunter exploded in a shower of white blood and organs, the walls, ceilings, and floor plastered with gore from the remnants as what little was left fell limp to the floor, the entire scene almost resembling what would occur if a spill of mayonnaise happened. The smell of burnt flesh and blood countered that assumption, though.

"Holy shit." Mokou glanced over. "Now that's a fuckin' good use for a grenade if i've ever seen one."

Zero pulled out their AR2 once more as the elevator finally approached, it's glass-lined door opening without a sound.

"Move!" Zero ordered, and the group fell back from their hallways, some sending off some parting shots as they left the body-filled corridors behind them as they got inside the elevator. Nitori moved over to the control panel, typing in commands with it's rather obscure interface.

"Right, and here… we go!" Nitori spoke,and the elevator began to move again, back down into the depths it came from.

Zero surveyed the cargo elevator, noting it's numerous boxes and storage containers. Mokou was immediately beginning to rifle through some of them, seeing if they could find anything helpful.

"Status?" Zero spoke, looking over to everyone as they caught their breath.

"10 shells left, including the ones in the shotgun." Yukari spoke. "I'm fine otherwise."

"Two magazines in spare. A stray shot busted the sight, though." Abraham spoke.

"One on my end. Bullet scraped my leg, but I'm mostly fine." Nitori affirmed.

"30 pulses left in my AR2." Zero responded themselves. "Search the containers. Perhaps there's something in here that could help us when we hit the bottom."

And thus, several began searching.

"So, considering you just blew up a Hunter in a tight corridor, how bad do you think the response will be?" Yukari asked as they found the opening to a container, finding a couple of AR2s, one of which they took in addition to a pair of magazines, tossing another pair over to Zero as they spoke.

"They'll likely be waiting for us. The schematics show there being a large hall before where we need to get to. Chances are they were expecting us to go up, however, so there's a solid possibility they won't be as prepared as they'd like themselves to be." Zero explained as they found little of use.

"I'd still lean on the negative side, considering how much shit has backfired." Mokou started, opening another box and pausing for a moment, registering what was inside for a moment before a devious look came onto their face. "Hey, Kawashiro?"

Nitori looked up from a box of their own, tossing aside some metal pieces. "Yeah?"

"Do you think you can do anything with this?" Mokou moved over, gesturing towards the crate.

Nitori's face turned to curiosity as they moved over, looking inside, a sly smile creeping onto their face. "This? Oh, I can work with this."

* * *

"Alert, malignants en route to lower levels. All strike teams available are to mobilize immediately to sub-level 16." The voice of Overwatch was even harsher when it came from internal comms.

Strike Team Alpha-Tri heard the order, but they were already en-route. Numerous forces were. The grey drones moved down to the large storage room, a large junction for most of the base's supplies. Barricades of all sorts were being created, whether from simple plates or proper energy shielding. At least two dozen soldiers were already on location.

The soldiers only knew three things. The enemy was to come down the central elevator. That they were heavily armed, and that teams Theta-Epsilon, Gamma, and Phi were all confirmed KIA, along with a Hunter-Killer unit.

Thus, they were expecting a large number. Practically every soldier was dead silent, even over comms as the elevator's noise came into hearing range. Weapons were checked across the board, Pulse rifles were aimed, Shotguns hid behind large containers, and SMGs were kept in reserve in case the first line fell.

They were ready for a bunch of motley rebels.

So when the door opened, all forces were surprised when a literal swarm of Manhacks and Rollermines moved out.

Pulse shots fired, but only damaged some as the veritable and innumerable mechanical grinders flew in every direction, flying at high speeds towards their former masters. Rollermines propelled themselves towards barricades, bullets practically doing nothing to stop them as some more hasty barricades straight collapsed from the impact.

The cacophony of noise was only exacerbated by the arrival of the actual crew behind it. Zero and Mokou moved to cover swiftly while their distraction worked it's magic, Abraham and Nitori putting down a pair of turrets on opposite sides of the doorway, covering numerous angles and further forcing the strike teams into cover. Yukari stayed in the elevator's doorway, controlled pulses taking out some of the more panicked soldiers on the flanks.

Zero continued forth, rounding a corner of a container only to come face-to-face with a shotgunner.

Working on pure instinct alone, Zero wrenched the gun to the side as they fired, releasing one hand on it before hitting them hard in the side of the helmet, The light within one eye crackling out as the glass was heavily cracked from the blow. It sent the shotgunner's head into the side of the container, causing further disorientation for the brown and orange soldier. However, they did have enough in them to use the gun defensively, raising it as Zero went for another punch. The gunner swiftly changed his position on the shotgun, swinging it barrel first at Zero as a makeshift bat.

Zero ducked the hit, a distinct clanging noise resonating as the shotgun hit the container. They used their position to shove the gunner hard, giving them ample room to finish the shotgunner off with a trio of pulses to an already damaged helmet.

They caught their breath for only a moment before another soldier came into view, SMG fire clipping their chest and shoulder before Zero had a chance to retaliate. A stream of green energy ended that one however, Mokou moving into view afterwards.

"Fuck, cyclops, we gotta' stop meeting like this." Mokou spoke as they lent an arm to help the Elite up.

"Thank you." Zero calmly replied, gaining their bearings. The wounds didn't impede too much, but they certainly hurt, their armor's chemical supplies being used up quite a time ago.

"No problem. Now, let's get through this hellhole." Mokou assured, the two moving forth as the first line began to retreat. The second line came up to meet the group, their rapid-fire MP7s capable of pushing back the swarms of Manhacks more easily.

The turrets were pushed a little forward, covering flanks as Abraham and Yukari kept the front suppressed.

Zero and Mokou moved along the sidelines quickly, flanking the second line. The stream of plasma went out, it's unstable natures arcing violently across the line as several scrambled to moved away from it, firing all the while, puncturing Mokou's chest with bullet-holes before Zero moved beside, sniper in hand as one soldier's helmet was completely shattered by a quick shot from the rifle. This brief shift of attention gave Mokou enough time to torch the rest after a brief recovery.

The immortal breathed out heavily. "Fuckin'... that shrapnel's gonna' be a bitch to get out later."

"Can you still fight?" Zero asked, holstering the rifle.

"Yeah, yeah. Just… gotta catch my breath. Think that might've punctured a lung." Mokou spoke, leaning against the side of the nearest container.

Meanwhile, the rest had pushed the forces out of the room for the moment. Nitori managing to get to the room's main console, rapidly typing even as the screen flashed red in defiance. Another blast from their small EMP tool corrected that issue, and the main doors and elevator to the storage room were sealed shut.

"Alright, We're safe for a few minutes, at least!" The group gathered around the console, most looking a little worse for wear, numerous scrapes and bruises from bullets impacting light armor.

"Right, now where is this synth production line?" Yukari questioned.

"Should be straight ahead from the room. It's the only door I left unlocked. Once we get that hijacked, this should become way easier." Nitori explained.

"Let's get moving." Zero spoke, the rest of the group beginning to follow behind as the central door burst open, a force knocking back the group as each was restrained as if constrained by an invisible hand.

As Zero recovered, they were the first to realize what this was, something they dreaded, especially as the slug-like form of an Advisor fully entered the room. Pain resonated throughout the heads of the group as it approached, especially towards Zero.

It's mechanical blue eye's optic focused, their optics shrinking akin to the shutter on a camera as the emanation of feelings found itself in Zero's head, echoing not anger, but sheer disappointment at the Elite's actions.

The Advisor put them to the side for now as they telepathically lifted and examined the others, noting the odd one out, Abraham. They knew the rest needed to be captured, but this one… this one could easily be used for information.

Abraham's eyes narrowed as they could guess this too, and as the Advisor examined, they used the little movement of their hands they could manage to pull a grenade from their belt, finger nestled in it's pin as they knew the alternative. While several continued to struggle, Yukari noted those motions, simply breathing outward while otherwise concealing their reactions.

The Advisor spun them around, preparing it's long barbed tongue as Abraham pulled the pin, muffling the beeping with their other hand as they counted in their head, tossing the grenade lightly upwards as the tongue pierced into the Rebel's neck, killing them near instantly, and very soon afterwards, an explosion occurred, the Advisor only realizing the ruse too late as the beeping was uncovered.

The explosion caused the Advisor to screech, flailing it's mechanical arms as it helplessly took shrapnel after shrapnel, knocking the creature backwards.

The telekinetic hold faltered as alien blood spilled. Zero wasted no time as they picked up their AR2 from the ground and began to fire. The first shot impacted, but the Advisor was already pulling objects from the surroundings to use as cover, barrels, crates and numerous pieces of metal swirled around the recovering slug as it's pain was refocused into rage. Even as it bled, metal fragments flew outwards to the group as it ripped apart surrounding containers to make more projectiles and shielding for itself.

The group scattered, each remaining member sprinting behind containers as they picked up whatever they could find for use as a weapon. Most were at least scraped by incoming fire as they moved behind cover, Zero and Nitori finding themselves behind the same shipping container.

"Nitori." Zero spoke, sounding a little exasperated. "Do you think you can still reconfigure that synth production line?"

Nitori caught her breath as she wiped a line of blood off her face, numerous scratches noted. "P-probably. That thing's gonna' make it hard, though."

"Leave that to us." Zero replied. "We can hold and distract it. You go as soon as it's attention is firmly on us."

"Are you-" Nitori's reply was interrupted by Zero putting an arm on the kappa's shoulder.

"Trust me." Zero affirmed.

Nitori paused for a moment, eyes darting, before they gave a nod.

Zero checked what they had. An MP7. Nothing compared to a pulse, but passable for what they needed to do.

A ringing headache kept them slightly bleary, the raw psychic energy permeating power through the air. Zero then steadied themselves before running out of cover, firing their SMG at the Advisor. Several layers of scrap around the creature simply adjusted on a whim, each intercepting bullet after bullet as it's two camera-like eyes swivelled to look at them. Their lenses were cracked, flickering light, but what light still remained emanated cold fury.

Rebar and shard of metal were flung outward, barely clipping the Elite's armor as they made it to Mokou's container.

"Fuck, cyclops, what the hell are you-" Mokou was interrupted by the screech of the Advisor, forcing both to pause for a moment as a wave of pain came through their heads.

"We need to buy time." Zero explained simply.

Mokou looked confused until they realized what the Elite was thinking. "Alright. Plan?"

"Attack from multiple angles. Thing can only focus fire on one thing at a time without sacrificing aim and speed. Plus, better chance for something to get through." Zero elaborated.

"Fine, makes sense. If I can get my Immolator from out there…" Mokou thought out loud.

"I have a grenade, that combined with fire could give you enough time. You know where it is?"

"Yeah, I saw it. You ready?" Mokou spoke as they readied their own grabbed MP7.

"No, but it will have to do." Zero mentioned before peeking out from the opposite side of the container. The Advisor quickly refocused, slinging shard after shard as the immortal slipped out from the other side.

Zero noted the Advisor's tendency to grab almost anything that came in it's range, and thus prepped the grenade, chucking it over the container as well as continuing to fire from the side. The Advisor expecting such a maneuver however, flinging the grenade right back in their direction. The Elite dived for cover as the grenade flew, their low position to the ground partially protecting them from shrapnel, even through they could feel a shard or two pierce their armor.

But the sound of screeching sounded regardless, as Mokou managed to get her Immolator. The mere presence of the beam corroded through numerous layers of metal, eating through the Advisor's defenses quite quickly, shifting the Advisor's full attention to Mokou.

The blast of a shotgun followed as screeching turned to squeals. Yukari's position was perfect for her SPAS to fire upon the Advisor, a near full load of buckshot piercing delicate squishy flesh.

Waves of pain radiated outward, disrupting all three. Vision blurred, noses bled, the world practically seemed to shift as the Advisor's panic and power rose in equal numbers, the slug ripping off sheets of the ceiling to refuel it's protection.

Zero had barely recovered by this point, just getting to their feet as they felt the sharp tang of their own blood in their mouth. A glow of pulsing power emanated further outward as the walls shuddered in response. This was the true power of an Advisor, of one of the great leaders of the Universal Union. The very cover the three were behind were beginning to become torn apart, the creature's shield becoming a tornado of material, spinning with enough speed to turn anything that dared try to pierce through it into mincemeat.

And as their cover faded, the Advisor's attention was firmly turned onto the recovering Elite. There was no word to describe the intensity of emotions the Advisor conveyed through the air, a whirlwind of rage, disappointment, fear, and a want for vengeance to override it all. They knew what led to this moment, that this little incursion would've never happened without the traitor, that the pain they felt was because of THEM.

Zero hopelessly fired the MP7 in defiance, the bullets practically bouncing off the shield as a shard was launched even quicker than they could react, piercing through their armor as easily as cardboard. Pain filled their senses, their weapon ripped from their hands as two more shards joined them, paced slowly. Breathing became difficult, the Elite sent to the floor as the Advisor savored sharing the pain, the sphere of death inching closer as the Advisor approached.

The Elite could barely move now, their HUD flashing constant warnings as dizziness began to grow.

The Elite could swear they could hear the slug laughing at them. However, the Elite's attention was then drawn to one last thing.

The doors on the opposite end of the room had opened. And through them, they could see the air warp, curling in on itself. They knew what it was, and as the Advisor stopped, they knew it too.

A moment later, and a blue blast of energy was hurled at impossibly fast speeds, impacting the Advisor's shield with the force of a freight train. The shield partially disintegrated, the slug being flung against the wall behind them as the rest of the scrap fell helplessly to the ground, the remains of a half-vaporized Advisor and the view of others moving towards them being the last thing the Elite saw before everything turned to darkness once more.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 _Well, it's been a while. Too damn much of a while._

 _As I may have spoken of before, whenever I don't write a story in time for my attention to begin drifting, it practically never gets done. I'm terrible with the long term. However, that's no excuse for how terrible I am at this. I should probably be hung, flayed, gutted, strapped to a wheel, and numerous other things. Shit like this reminds me of how terrible I am. Regardless, I said I would finish this story, and I will. I don't know when the next chapter will be out._

 _Probably next year, with how my mind keeps drifting and the fact that I deserve to be flogged. Don't take that as literal, though, i'm probably going to start to try working on the next one right after I finish writing and posting this._

 _Emphasis on try, though. There's no amount of the word "sorry" that I can say to alleviate how much I feel I should apologize for my shite writing._

 _See you then, I guess. If anyone's even still interested by then._


	8. Inoculate

The first feeling the Elite felt was more so it's lack. A distinct numbness was something they could feel throughout their body. It reminded them of the times spent in deep storage, for when they weren't truly needed. When they were far less disposable.

Their main optic flashed on, sputtering, Zero noticing small cracks around the edges of vision. Inconvenient, but passable.

They motioned for themselves to move, but found themselves stopped by a hand, swivelling upwards, it seemed to belong to Nitori.

"Geez, awake already? Should've guessed as much." Nitori spoke. "You gotta stay still for now, i'm still fixing you up. You needed quite a bit more than any Combine medical kit can provide, with all that shrapnel in your person."

The Elite looked down to themselves, finding them stripped of their armor, as numerous small mechanical appendages tended to wounds, correcting faults, repairing them to full strength.

"S-status report." Zero's voice came out softer than they anticipated it to. Numbness was still there, but an aching pain was beginning to creep in as well as they woke up more fully.

"The Advisor is dead, and this base is under our control." came a voice from the far side of the room, easily distinguishable as Yukari's. "Your idea worked, and you can thank Nitori here for your life not being extinguished by either the Advisor or your own wounds."

"We've already sent word to White Forest about the attack inbound to them." Nitori added. "Plus, they're sending a small group of Rebels over here to manage things. Synths can do a lot of it, but it's always nice to have an actual set of eyes here."

"How long until the attack?" Zero's voice seemed to stabilize fully.

"Three hours at the most. Using some of the scanners procured from here, we know they're sending a lot of troops. Numerous Striders, Hunters, Gunships. And in addition, a pair of Advisors." Yukari informed. "White Forest apparently has a missile they believe can disrupt the 's why they're sending everything they have at it."

"Has synth support been sent?" Zero asked. Nitori nodded. "Yep. Managed to change some of the standard colouration of the synths to differentiate them as well. We're actually doing something similar with your armor, since that might be quite confusing when we get over there."

"ETA on repairs?"

"One hour for you. Armor's mostly done already. Just doing the final touches with a new paint-job. Had to go for an entirely new set, though. Your original armor was in way too bad of a shape to be fixed in the time we have. Luckily, all those failsafes don't mean anything when we have full control over them." Nitori clarified.

"Understood." Zero stated. "Is there anything else of note to speak of?"

"Uh, yeah, one thing." Nitori rubbed the back of their head. "Do you, uh, know how to drive an APC? There's a large one here that should be able to fit all of us."

"Yes." Zero replied. "Instructions on how to drive any Union-Standard vehicle is standard training for us."

"Alright then, we have our entrance. Do you wanna' be conked out for this, or…?"

"I am fine either way." Zero confirmed.

"Alright then, we'll just keep getting things ready, you stay here n' get those holes plugged. Now, i've got some Gunships to reprogram!" Nitori spoke with no small amount of glee as they moved from the room, leaving Yukari and Zero alone.

"Your plan back there was incredibly risky." Yukari's voice was somewhat lower than normal.

"I know." Zero retorted. "However, I am disposable, and Mokou cannot expire. It was a planned risk that worked out. The alternative was likely the death or capture of all involved."

"You are not as disposable as you think." Yukari replied. "You've done a lot in a comparatively short time. This base's capture alone could mean a shift in how this war plays out, and you are a wealth of information about how Overwatch functions."

"A large part of that was Nitori. I simply served as a distraction, which likely could've been done just as well by Mokou." Zero pointed out.

"Yes, but may I remind you that you were the one who pointed out that such a takeover could be done in the first place?"

"It is likely they could've figured it out as well." Zero countered. "She is remarkably intelligent and resourceful, from what I have seen. This would've gone the same either way. All I am doing now is delaying you all."

Yukari narrowed their eyes. "You don't even understand your real importance, do you?"

"Elaborate." Zero spoke, their left arm involuntarily twitching as mechanical arms worked on it.

"Has an Overwatch Elite ever successfully defected before you, to your knowledge?" Yukari asked.

"No." Zero spoke almost immediately. "Few have attempted it. None have survived."

"Then consider the precedent you set. You have made it, you have survived and assisted in striking a blow against the Combine in this region. If one can make it, then perhaps others can as well. That's another reason why they went after you so much. Because they understand that if other Elites hear about you, there's a distinct possibility for them to get out as well." Yukari explained. "Consider it. You've shown me Elites can have thoughts of such. If that portal is shut, they'll understand there's no more reinforcements coming." Yukari explained.

"And that the rebels possess a chance at victory." Zero finished. "You intend to use my presence as propaganda?"

"For two purposes. The one I just told you, and also for the Rebellion to think harder about attempting to convert others to their way of thinking. Every man is a valuable resource, especially if said man has heavy experience with both the enemy and combat in general." Yukari elaborated. "I wouldn't consider you propaganda. I would consider you another beacon one can look up to, similar to Freeman."

Zero breathed in, and then emitted a sigh, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Yukari.

"Your logic is sound enough. As much as I don't wish to be seen in such a way, morale is an important thing to consider." Zero admitted. "I will 'go with it'. Not that I seem to have much choice in the matter."

"You'd become one with or without me, most likely. In these times, people will grasp onto anything for a modicum of hope. Until now, we've never been able to strike the Combine this hard. Spirits are up for the first time in ages, even with that portal leading to death hanging above us." Yukari continued.

"Humanity is strange." Zero replied simply.

Yukari just chuckled. "Very true, but their eccentricities are what make them so adaptable and hardy. All youkai owe them very much regardless, considering we were created by them."

Zero paused for a moment, taking the information in. "So not only is this magic based on belief, but you're saying you are as well?"

"Correct. It is the reason Gensokyo was created in the first place. Humanity rationalizing things they couldn't explain resulted in us, but as they found the true answers, youkai began to lose strength, began to fade away, much like magic." Yukari sounded more melancholy as they spoke. "But then we created Gensokyo, we created rules and laws, and much life of the world that was considered extinct returned to it. But now that the barrier's gone, much has faded away. It's likely that if humanity continues not to believe in us, it's likely we will fade away completely in the next few decades."

"That is… unfortunate." Zero replied, and Yukari could do nothing but nod. "Is it correctable?"

"It is. If we can convince more humanity of these things, then we will stay around. Perhaps even regain our strength." Yukari spoke, voice slightly more hopeful. "But many of these scientists simply believe that magic doesn't exist, and they spread these things, and the Union spreads these things, and generally the entire populace can barely remember what they are. It would take a lot of work, a lot of planning, but I think it could be done. But that would be after the fact. After the fighting, most likely."

"...If I manage to survive that long, I will consider assisting in that." The Elite replied in a less reserved tone.

"Thank you." Yukari started "I would like to stay, but there are a lot of things to prepare. While the Hunters are a helpful creature for lugging, another set of hands would help."

"Understood. I won't hold you." Zero replied, speaking more coldly again. "I will be there when my repairs are done."

Yukari nodded, turning and moving away as Zero was left alone to think.

Would there be an end to this fighting, even with this new valuable supply of synths at their disposal? A calculation for if everything went to plan, that would still be a long time out. Decades. Perhaps more than a century. Not enough time. They'd have to assist more quickly than that.

They wouldn't let their allies die again.

* * *

An hour had passed and work had been done. The production and takeover of more inactive synths had left them with a near platoon at their disposal. A pair of Striders, a trio of Gunships, alongside numerous packs of Hunters, Synth Scanners and a handful of the more rarely seen Mortar and Crab variants of Synth. It was honestly more hassle just to repaint them to distinguish them from their Union-owned brethren, Hunter lights affixed to a bright orange, harder hulls repainted by the machine to a mixture of black and orange, a colour-scheme which Zero's armor now took.

The three were ready at the central loading elevator, synths being split accordingly between the attack force and those on the defense in addition to the automated defenses. An APC was ready for the three, Mokou leaning on it as the rest fiddled with armor and gear. Behind the APC was a makeshift wagon, carrying numerous pieces of static defenses.

Nitori and Yukari wore a somewhat loose fitting set of armor, taken from standard Overwatch soldiers, offering much more protection than a simple CP kevlar vest.

"You sure you don't want the extra armor, Mokou?" Nitori sounded a little incredulous, but the immortal just waved them off.

"Nah, rather not want to look like one of the fellows i'm killin'. I'll be fine, you know that." Mokou spoke as they hefted their Immolator over their shoulder. "We ready to move anyways? Hatin' just standing there."

"We should be… oh, right, geez, I nearly forgot." Nitori moved for a side bag, pulling out something before handing it over to Zero. The Elite looked more closely before realizing it was an optic.

"I thought you'd might want something to go with that armor. I know those cracks were fixed, but I did a little bit of tweaking." Nitori explained.

"Alright." Zero spoke, unscrewing their own optic, leaving that gaping hole for all to view for a moment.

"Where in the hell is your brain anyways, cyclops? That should be like a hole right through it." Mokou commented.

"Brain matter is unnecessary. Synthetic replacements are utilized that perform a similar task." the Elite spoke as they screwed in the new optic, glowing to life with an orange glow to match the armor. " Optic alignment is good… you re-added team management?"

"Mhmhm." Nitori replied. "Our armor and Mokou's headset are attached to it. Should be able to see where we all are at any time, as well as life-signs. Most notably is that the scanners in the air are also listed, so you'll be able to monitor troop movements."

"I'm familiar with the design. I'm more curious on how one managed to get focal alignment to match the precision spec without sacrificing other utilities."

"As much as I hate to interrupt such a discussion, but may I remind you that White Forest is going to be under attack soon?" Yukari spoke firmly.

"Right! Sorry, distracted. Everybody in the APC, we're moving out!" Nitori spoke, moving into the the front alongside Zero, Yukari and Mokou getting in the back.

"Tight fit in here. N' they use this thing to transport CP groups?" Mokou rose an eyebrow.

"APCs are more for the firepower than transportation capabilities. Your choice of weaponry does not help." Zero added as Nitori hit he controls to raise the large elevator upwards.

"I believe this would be a time to refresh ourselves on the plan." Yukari noted.

"Right, right." Nitori started. "While originally, the convoy was moving as one, both sides have split off for a sort of pincer attack. One is focusing on the main side of the facility, while the other is focusing on the far side, aiming to destroy the rocket. The former is mostly infantry, Gunships, and Hunter squads, while the latter consists of mostly Striders and Hunters. The back-side will being covered by Gordon Freeman and company, so they should be fine, especially with a "Strider-Buster" that Dr. Magnusson has been working on. Though Freeman hasn't showed up yet, apparently, but they have time to show."

"Which leaves us to assist with the front-side. Rebels have the gunships covered, so we'll be trying to rip apart those lines of infantry and Hunters. We'll have help, so this shouldn't be too bad, even for an assault of this scale." Nitori continued.

"We also need to pin down and find the Advisors. If we can deal with them, it is likely the assault will lose cohesion." Zero added.

"Last time, we barely managed to take down one of those slug-fucks, let alone two." Mokou noted. "We need to deal with those things quickly."

"Agreed." Yukari spoke. The Advisors should be top priority, if they appear, they need to be focused down. We'll be over at White Forest far before they're fully ready. It'll give us time to prepare further in terms of formations."

As they finished speaking, the elevator reached the apex, the roof opening as the elevator and it's APC and synth-laden began to move.

Considering the variable speed of the synths, the gunships arrived at their destination first, setting down momentarily out of sight so they wouldn't be immediately targeted when the fighting began. The APC and Hunters came next, the Striders and Crabs following soon after as two of the three departed the vehicle, Nitori staying within to operate it's weaponry and move it to a more advantageous position. All of this only took around 30 minutes, leaving ample time to set up defenses still.

Several Rebels met them, looking fairly incredulously at the scene forming around them as this large group approached the front gate.

"Hell, when I heard you people were bringing synths with you, I wasn't expecting a half a platoon!" one rebel spoke.

" I preferred not to arrive under-dressed." Yukari spoke, taking off their helmet for the moment. "I believe we should begin drafting adjustments to the defensive plan inside?"

"Yeah, yeah. Lemme punch you all in." the rebel spoke, typing a quick set of numbers on a keypad before the outer gate opened, letting the group, APC, and synths access to the main yard outside the underground complex. Zero seemed to scan the area. Fairly open, but lots of trees posed as cover before the two main entrances to the complex before them. The left entrance had no cover whatsoever, but the right had a fence to disrupt shots, a raised balcony with a roof, and various pieces of debris that could easily work as makeshift cover.

While they had time to prepare further defenses, it would be likely that the right entrance would need to be the main focus for defensive measures. It would be a lot of work and it was likely they'd need to fall back if they got there even if they could hold for a few minutes. The better plan was to start far ahead.

The road before White Forest was their main idea for a proper defense. It was essentially a canyon, with a long and winding road up to the base. Overwatch would be forced to deploy troopers down there rather than at the gate itself as well, due to the heavy amount of trees after the gate. The tall walls would be perfect for explosive and sniper support, though they suspected the latter would be in short supply.

As they pondered this, the three approached the leftmost entrance, Nitori meanwhile getting out of the APC as they prepared for some other rebels to assist in moving the numerous pieces of cover into place.

"Have to say, you came at a good time. Some of our scouts were beginning to spot a couple of the Combine's own. The attack is probably coming within the hour, maybe even 30 minutes." the rebel spoke as they punched in the code to open the door. Zero ordered the Hunters to begin patrolling the area, the creatures responding with small affirmative chirps before they scattered into smaller groups, moving off above the base.

"And seeing those things, i'd be scared shitless if they weren't ours. Still kinda makes me nervous, honestly."

"They don't bite, at least." Mokou spoke with a smirk. "They just gore, maim and explode their foes instead."

"...Noted, alright, you're clear for heading in. I know the bigwigs down there were interested in you all, might want to see them pronto." the rebel spoke, moving out of the way as the three passed into the base proper.

The interior of the left side seemed far more defensible in comparison to the outside. Numerous doors, gates and fence separations within rooms would make pushing in for Overwatch difficult, especially if a turret could be set up, reinforced by yet another large gate shuttering behind them as they left the tunnel-like interconnecting areas, smaller hallways leading into a small computer-lab like setting.

They noted the distinctive form of Eli Vance working on a terminal beside a Vortigaunt, the old man turning with a small smile as they saw the group, tempered by a slight narrowing of the eyes as they saw Zero.

"Good to see you here, Yukari." Eli spoke, shaking the youkai's hand. "By god, can barely recognize you without that long hair of yours."

"It's unfortunate, but it'll grow back in time." Yukari replied. "And i'm glad to see you made it out of City 17 alright. I heard they were moving you to the Citadel and thought the worst."

"Nearly was, but i'm alright. I've heard you've brought some… unlikely allies." Eli spoke, glancing over to Zero.

"You can say that again." Mokou commented. "Weird as hell seeing the 'Devils of the Outland' on our side, let alone Striders and Gunships."

"You can thank our own new ally here for that being possible." Yukari stood aside to allow a more full view of Zero.

"You continue overplaying my importance in regards to that operation, but yes, I did assist in the recovery of the Union facility." Zero started. "Former Overwatch Squad Leader Four Zero-Zero, reporting for duty."

"Never thought i'd see the day when I'm seeing a defector from the Deathwatch before me." Eli spoke in a lower tone, one that indicated no small amount of incredulousness at the situation. "Isaac was looking to see you, Yukari. They're still down working on the rocket, just head on the elevator behind." Eli continued. "I'll stay here. I'd rather want to greet Gordon and Alyx when they arrive."

Yukari nodded at that. "Do they know about our synths?"

"No, but we've got a scouting team out there waiting to inform them. Now, i've got some more calculations I have to run on my end, so I'll see you." Eli replied, giving a smile to the youkai.

"Likewise." Yukari started, moving towards the elevator as they waited for their allies to get on, the elevator's slow movement giving them a little bit of time before they arrived.

"Four Zero-Zero? Wasn't it Forty-Zero or somethin'?" Mokou asked.

"Forty-Zero is shorthand, usually for field operations. Overwatch prefers more direct numbering when speaking formally to a superior. Considering that was a leader of the resistance, it felt more proper." the Elite explained as the elevator continued to descend, the large door ahead opening to reveal a pair of scientists working on the rocket.

"You'll find the Resistance is a mostly informal group aside from a few exceptions. Notably the two before us." Yukari mentioned as the elevator reached it's destination.

"I told you, Eli to…" the scientist near the upper portion of the nosecone stopped themselves as they noticed it wasn't who they were expecting.

"Oh, Yakumo. I see the Combine finally ridded you of that ridiculously impractical hair. And gave you that horrendously bulky armor." he spoke. "And it's about time you got here, we could've used your experience _days_ ago."

"Good to see you too, Magnusson." Yukari replied, voice filled to the brim with sarcasm, shifting to something more sincere as they locked eyes with the other scientist. "You as well, Kleiner."

"Indeed. You've come at an opportune time. We could use that expertise of yours to finish up our work on the rocket." Kleiner seemed primarily focused on

"More likely to sabotage it, considering previous employment." Magnusson muttered as they finished re-affixing a plate onto the nose cone.

"I should remind you that my tenure with Aperture Science was a wholly unofficial one, regardless of what actual employment data may say." Yukari retorted. "But yes, I can help. Status on the rocket so far?"

"Mostly done. It's simply a matter of fine tuning and waiting for Gordon and Alyx to deliver the data required to finish it." Kleiner explained.

"Which they should've done hours ago." Magnusson added. "But it seems since the fall of civilization, so too did the idea of a _schedule_."

"To our knowledge, Alyx Vance was near fatally wounded. The delay is understandable, if inconvenient." Zero replied, the two scientist finally seeming to notice them.

"My, my, what a fascinating set of armor. I take it you're Zero, then? The communications teams mentioned you alongside our new allies."

"Maybe he can be the one to get these supposed 'soldiers' to actually aim a weapon properly." Magnusson commented in passing, moving down from their mobile ladder.

"That is correct." Zero nodded. "Former designation Four Zero-Zero."

"Just roll with Forty-Zero, that's just fuckin' cumbersome to say." Mokou spoke with a tinge of irritation.

"If you insist." Zero replied.

"I am quite curious as to the augmentations that have been done-" the timid scientist began, before a quite irritated Magnusson moved over.

" _Kleiner_! Enough ogling the tin man and help me calibrate these signals, for god's sake." Magnusson interrupted, Kleiner noticeably clenching their teeth at the yelling.

"Right, right. My apologies." Kleiner spoke with no small amount of trepidation.

"That goes for you too, Yakumo. And unless your friends here have degrees in rocket science, get them _out_ of here!" Magnusson yelled.

Yukari simply glared at the man, purple orbs bearing down on the balding scientist, flickering with the sort of rage that only ages of experience can truly bring out. Magnusson didn't say another word, merely sighing and shaking their head before getting back to work.

"Apologies. They can be like this when stressed." Yukari spoke more softly as they turned to the two. "I will help with this rocket, see if we can't manage to get everything ready before the attack."

Yukari then turned back for a moment. "Where are the rebels planning the defense?"

"Oh, head back up the elevator, then take a right from there. They were planning in the room at the end of the hallway there." Kleiner answered.

"You assistance is appreciated." Zero replied, turning back to the elevator with Mokou at their side, the elevator beginning to ascend as the three below got to work, the large blast door closing as Mokou sighed.

"Is this Magnusson always like that?" Zero asked.

"Usually, yeah. Not this much, though. The stress probably doesn't help much." Mokou replied. "Only one i've seen them talk to without sounding constantly irritated is that Vortigaunt of theirs. Uriah, I think he named 'em."

"He named them?"

"Vorts don't have names usually, from what I figure. They just sort of instinctively understand each other. Probably magic, or, excuse me, 'vortessence'." Mokou corrected themselves, waggling their fingers at the term.

"You do not seem to have that high of opinion on them." Zero noted.

"No, I don't." Mokou replied. "It's nothin' personal or anything, but they just rub me the wrong way. How they almost always speak cryptically as shit, how they can still use magic, how they use the term 'vortessence' like magic itself belongs solely to them, it's just… irritating. They're good allies, but I wouldn't call 'em friends."

"Understandable reasoning." Zero responded at they reached the top of the elevator's track, the two moving towards the door Kleiner mentioned.

"Ey, Eli, you know the code to this door? Apparently the meeting for defenses are through here?"

"Right, let me punch you in." Eli spoke, hobbling over to the door. "There's one thing I did want to ask, though."

Eli punched in the code, the door opening as they turned to look at Zero. "All the ones i've seen like you had nothing left. Like machines. How much did the Combine take from you? Can you even remember who you were before?"

Zero paused for a moment, before they reached for their helmet, taking it off, Eli slightly recoiling.

"The Union took my memories. They took the majority of my body. Even if I managed to retrieve my memories, I could not look at them as myself, for the man who possessed them is dead." Zero elaborated. "And yet, I am still somebody. Every Elite is, most fight for the Union purely because it is the logical thing to do. They are the ones who can win, and more importantly, the ones who can end us on a whim."

"Yet you fight for us now, even when we're on the backfoot." Eli's voice had a definite weariness. "Why?"

"If the super-portal is closed, the chances for the Rebellion to begin to become a real threat increase to nearly 40%. With the the capture of the Overwatch facility, that increases further to 45-47%%." Zero started. "In addition, I feel a connection to those I have fought alongside, despite our short time together."

"That's… kinda sweet?" Mokou rose an eyebrow at that last statement.

"Certainly more than I ever expected." Eli added. "I'm sorry for bothering you about this."

Zero shook their head before putting their helmet back on. "It is no issue, curiosity is merely human nature. Now, I believe we have a meeting to attend."

"Right. Good luck to you both. I have a feeling we'll need it." Eli spoke, turning back to their work as the two proceeded to move down the hallway.

"He's cautious." Zero noted. "There is valid reasoning for it."

"But maybe you just opened them up a bit. Sometimes a bit of understanding can go a long way, i've found." Mokou responded as they approached the final door. Beyond was a large room, numerous individuals of countless races looking over a map that could decide whether humanity continues or dies.

"Hey, there's our resident pyromaniac!" one looked over, others looking over to see the two.

"And the one who's brought in the cavalry." another noted.

"We're here to help assist with the planning." Zero stated.

A few rebels moved out of the way as they allowed the two a closer look at the map, the Elite slightly leaning on the table as they looked it over.

"We know we're expecting a lot of the heat to come from the backside. Magnusson's already planning to use those strider-busters of his to help there." a rebel started. "Front's probably going to have less, but it's still risky, considering distance to the rocket."

"Agreed. Are there any other possible routes they could use to get in?"

"Nothin' a Strider can get through at. It's two sides, mostly."

"What about here?" Zero asked, pointing to the area besides the main rocket silo.

"That's the secondary silo. Sealed up, there's nothin' in there." a rebel commented.

"But the hatch to get in is still accessible from the surface?" Zero asked.

"Yeah, but that thing would take a Strider to bust open. We'd know it if they did."

"They wouldn't need to blow it open. It's more likely they would employ electronic warfare to get inside, trick it to open." Zero corrected.

"Shit, really? We can send a squad or two to keep it secure, if they could do that." spoke a more decorated rebel.

"I will keep scanners to watch the topside as well." Zero noted to themselves out loud.

To Mokou, they mostly leaned against the back-wall as the group began to go back and forth, only barely paying enough attention to get the general idea of things. They were more interested in how Zero was acting. They seemed to fit in naturally, adapting more military-style tactics to the normal guerrilla warfare the Rebels were used to fighting. It gave them hope that this would work out well. Perhaps Yukari had a real point when recruiting them.

The discussions bled together, and soon enough, word and paper were being put into actual action as Rebels set up the defenses.

And the time those tactics would be tested approached rapidly by the second. But hope was in no short supply with the new arrivals. They would beat them here and now.

There was no other choice in the matter.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 _Well, that was a chapter. Mostly dialogue and character-focused stuff. I WAS going to combine this and the battle itself into one chapter, but this was running on quite a bit. This'll probably be the longest chapter in the whole story. The next one's the big one. the big final battle, and some of the aftermath that'll follow. It'll probably be the last true chapter, as I actually do have a shorter epilogue already written._

 _Do remember to leave reviews, if you're still reading. I'm curious on opinions on how I wrote some of the more canon characters. I'm unsure on it myself, mostly with Eli. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed, i'll be working on the next one as soon as I can. We're so close to the end you can taste it._


	9. Expunge

The forest was oddly quiet. While normally filled with chirps of birds, the only sound that moved through it now was a small stream, trickling down the canyon. It was as if it knew what was coming, a calm before the storm.

Then, it came. A distinctive 'thump, thump, thump'. One that everyone knew, be they Overwatch or Rebels.

Down the peaceful valley came the unmistakable tripod form of a Strider, it's feeler-like frontal gun surveying the air as it stomped through the valley at an almost casual-looking pace. Behind it was the initial wave, a pair of hunters flanking the strider closely behind,and a squad of infantry behind that, headed by one of the Deathwatch, it's cycloptic gaze constantly on the lookout, the group ready to move in the case of danger at any point.

This was about what Zero expected, as they watched from the ridge high above, right before White Forest's entrances. They took calculations on the path the Strider would walk, shifted somewhat to account for variability. But they were moving just as they expected. Perfect.

That perfection was solidified as the Strider stepped into one of the deeper portions of the river, an explosion ringing out as the Strider's leg stepped on a Hopper Mine. This wouldn't be enough to damage the Strider, they knew that. But, what it did do was cause it to stumble to the side, towards the left ridge. The Strider steadied itself for a moment against the ridge as a rebel appeared from the treeline that covered it. They chucked the device in their hands like a football, and Magnusson's strider bomb attached to the strider with a distinct whine.

The Strider began to recover, the rest of the group below on edge as the rebel disappeared into the treeline, and Zero steadied their rifle on a crate.

Normally, a shot from this distance would require the user to factor in numerous things. Distance, bullet trajectory, the wind. All of these things were meaningless to a Pulse-firing sniper, who's speed and composition didn't care about any environmental factor. And as the Strider rose once more to it's full standing position, nearly perfectly still, Zero pulled the trigger.

There wasn't even any time to fully take in the crack of the rifle as the Strider exploded into chunks, white pulp covering the ground as numerous members of Overwatch below took cover behind the various rocks and fallen trees within the valley. The hunters however strode forward, practically galloping through the river as they took attention.

"Kappa-1, begin Phase 2." Zero spoke over comms.

"On it!" Nitori responded back, as the noise of an APC barrelling down White Forest's main road grew louder. Of the three hunters, two managed to turn themselves in time, skidding to a stop, the third was crushed by nearly a ton of steel. The APC's roof-mounted rifle flared up, targeting one hunter while a rocket soared into the other. The second died first, the explosion bursting the front of the synth's face open, white blood pouring into the river. The second fired off a few flechettes before succumbing to the sustained armor-piercing firepower of the riot tank. The flechettes left dents in the armor plating, but nothing too serious as the APC retrained on the infantry. A hail of pulse-fire and ballistics fired at the APC to little avail as it rolled forward, blasting away cover and mowing through the rest of the troopers.

"We're clear of infantry." Nitori spoke through the radio. "You think that's it?"

"No." Zero spoke bluntly as the sound the telltale humming of dropships came into hearing distance. Six rose from the far end of the valley, followed by further Hunters from the tunnel. The dropships landed at various points, dropping off countless infantry as Nitori began to fire out rockets to rip through some of them.

"Gunships Alpha & Beta, Deploy. Expunge targets Zeta and Gamma on my radial." Zero commanded from their spot as they lined up another shot. The propellers of the twin ships roared, the actual noises of the creatures following soon after as they soared over the valley, raining pulse-fire over the incoming infantry. The first dropship was crippled from consecutive rockets as the gunships positioned themselves over two others.

An oft forgotten feature of the Gunship was it's built-in warp cannon. While only limited to targets below the synth, it possessed all the firepower of the Strider, which the pair demonstrated via completely obliterating the two dropships while focusing other fire on the eight Hunters that began to move down to the valley.

"Drop reinforcement teams are scattering, Kappa-1, engage. Ridge-2, begin lockdown."

"Loud and clear, emplacement goin' up!" came a rebel over comms. From the left ridge came pieces of cover as well as a pulse turret alongside, Rebels providing covering fire to flush Overwatch soldiers out of cover, occasional shots being taken by Zero to support further.

* * *

Inside, as data was being decoded, Yukari watched the battle via monitors connected to the numerous scanners from above, nothing the progress of both sides of the battle as their fingers typed away on another monitor, decoding the data piece by piece.

"They're doing well." Eli noted beside them.

"You would be the one doubting them, if anyone else. "Yukari replied. "I still disagree with your stance on the Borealis."

"You weren't in Sector C, you don't know the kind of power we were messing with, Aperture was messing with, we can't risk another incident like Black Mesa, I won't allow it." Eli retorted.

Yukari finally looked over at them, eyes locking. "Eli, I know more than you possibly know about that incident. I know what caused it, it was sabotage, not just some lab accident. That sample was purposefully chosen and sent into the chamber because the one who did knew exactly what it would cause."

"You… how, that can't possibly be…" Eli seemed to need to take a moment to process what they said.

"Unforeseen consequences, no?" Yukari added, Eli's eyes focusing further at the mention of the statement.

"He… they were that involved?" Eli's eyes widened.

"Sure, the administrator signed off on it, but where did that sample come from in the first place?" Yukari continued. "It's almost like it appeared out of the blue, did it not? He's been involved since the beginning, and it's not you or any of the science team's fault. You just didn't know what you were dealing with."

Yukari put an arm on Eli's shoulder to help steady them, pulling over a chair. "It can be controlled. We have everything we need for it."

"But the risk…" Eli muttered.

"Is there for destroying it as well. Who knows what would happen if one strapped explosives to it. It's a ship that can fluctuate reality itself, it could kill us all, for what we know. Both are risky, but if we do nothing, we've lost just as much as this superportal continuing to exist would." Yukari stated. "Will you at the very least consider the possibility of this working?"

Eli was silent for a few seconds as Yukari removed the hand, shifting focus back to their work.

"I'll consider it., but we would need time we don't have to fully go through all the documentation."

Yukari nearly rolled their eyes but glanced over to them regardless, narrowing her gaze a little. "Then i'll write an abridged version, and I imagine Mossman can fill in on any blanks. I knew a fair bit about the Borealis project back when I worked with Aperture."

"Then why haven't you told us about it before?" Eli asked.

"Because of multiple reasons. One, I thought the thing was destroyed. It wasn't relevant." Yukari started. "The other part is part of what Kleiner was misinformed on. The project wasn't rushed. The project's initial experiment failed because most of Aperture's science staff were completely insane. Geniuses, yes, but utterly insane. Ethics was considered an obstacle rather than a ruling."

"You aren't exactly assuring me on this being a good idea." Eli rubbed their forehead.

"But that's the thing. For every horrible thing that came out of those laboratories, for every project that involved radiation, time travel, or mutation, there were the many projects that succeeded. True portal technology, created by utilizing the power of a safe miniature black hole. Truly sentient AI, gels that could practically defy the laws of physics. If Borealis survived, then that project can be considered a success, and what we could get away with if we had that technology would completely turn the tide of this war, more so than it's already seeming to be." Yukari explained.

Eli contemplated, and Yukari got back to work.

"We'll talk about this later. The decoding is very nearly finished, and then that rocket should be able to launch." Yukari spoke more formally. "I'll see you at the launch."

Eli was quiet, simply giving a nod before hobbling away, Yukari letting out a sigh of relief. The last thing they needed was disagreement in leadership during a battle. Thus they typed and decoded, as they watched the battle from afar, hoping everything went to plan.

* * *

The third wave arrived. More infantry and Hunters, deployed even further back. It seemed like a waste of soldiers. Sloppy, especially for a battle that could decide this war. Their gaze shifted to their eyes in the sky. Troops were being shifted from the front, they were wanting to hinge everything on the rear attack.

Which Zero found amusing, considering how easily one Gordon Freeman seemed to be mopping up the Striders, dashing from point to point in their car, dealing with the Striders in a methodical fashion. A single punt from their gravity manipulator and then a shot from a sidearm sealed the fate of the tripods. He had heard the stories of Freeman's exploits, but seeing them in action was an entirely different experience.

"Gunship Alpha, dispatch to Sector WF-E, assist in clean-up of demolition teams." Zero commanded.

"Overwatch has shifted priority to the attack on the rear side of the facility. Deploy Mortar and Bulwark units to assist." Zero spoke.

"Should I hold position?" Nitori asked.

"Negative, fall back to the gate, but hold there in case of reinforcement shifts." Zero replied. "Have we received visual on Advisoral units?"

"No slugs on either side. If they're here, they're hiding." Mokou responded, moving towards the Elite.

Zero holstered their Sniper as a loud thumping drew their attention. Over one of the fences, the large ramshackle form of Dog appeared, Zero only recognizing the gorilla-like automaton because of reputation.

"Oh, hey Dog." Mokou spoke as they approached, the white-haired woman giving them a pat on the upper plate. "Weren't you out patrolling?"

The robot nodded their head rapidly, making a near whistle like sound as they looked to Zero.

"What is it?" Zero inquired. Dog then merely pointed beyond the fence.

Zero seemed a little lost as they looked in the direction. "Is he tied into the comms network?"

"To my knowledge, yeah." Mokou answered.

"You saw an Advisor then?" Zero asked, and Dog rapidly nodded again.

Zero spoke, switching to comms. "Dog has supposedly found an advisor, requesting FT-3 to come for support."

"Gotcha, Front Team 3 is moving to you." came over comms, and soon the team of 4 came into view.

"Alright Dog, show us." Mokou spoke. The robot made a affirmative sounding whirr before they hopped the fence, moving into the forest, and the assembled team moved after them with haste, vanishing into the treeline and out of the view of the base in short order.

* * *

"They're retreating, we've won!" came the voice of a rebel over the intercoms, and then the cheering began in every part of the base. Even Yukari couldn't help but smile from the control room. Their work was done as they swiveled in their chair, finally having a moment to breath as Freeman and Alyx arrived.

The 'One Free-Man' of the resistance was not entirely what they were expecting as they moved for the launch controls. They remembered glimpsing that face back in their peeks at the Black Mesa facility, back during the two days it was a war zone.

Their face was plain, but weary. Dark circles made their way around their eyes as they noted numerous scars and more recent injuries. A tiny crack within the frame of their glasses. They could only imagine the countless injuries within their orange suit, even though it's paint was beginning to chip heavily. The face was almost perfectly the same as it was back then. It was something they internally noted but pushed to the side as final checks from Kleiner.

Then, the countdown began. The entire room focused on the silo. Yukari noted their looks. Eli's weariness, Kleiner's twiddling of fingers, nervousness written on their face as they bit their lip, Alyx's hopeful look as they quietly crossed their fingers and Gordon's look of near exhaustion, noticeably leaning on the panel as they looked on with a near glazed look in their eyes. Then, the moment of truth. The rocket launched without a hitch. It would take a minute for it to reach it's destination, but a small wave of relief spread across the room.

Alyx ushered Alyx and Gordon outside, Yukari following behind as they still needed a longer discussion with the older gentleman.

There, they watched as the missile reached it's target.

The portal itself was near completion. Energy was being funneled downwards into the Earth, the wild beam of energy that impacted the ground was more steady, almost ready to fully separate the boundaries between realities. Then, the resonator activated. The near blinding turquoise light closed in radius, further and further, and then, the boundary was sealed, the remnants of the energy storm dispersing outward as the energy they could practically feel resonating through the air dimmed.

Further cheers erupted over the intercoms, Magnusson feeling incredibly sure of themselves, causing Yukari to roll their eyes as they finally focused on Eli, hugging their daughter.

"I believe it's now time to further discuss about that topic of note, if they're to be leaving so soon?" Yukari spoke, letting them hug it out before speaking.

"Yes, yes, the Borealis." Eli's voice seemed a little conflicted. "We've still been arguing on what exactly what to do with it."

"Eli wishes to destroy it, and me and Kleiner believe it can be captured and controlled." Yukari summed up.

"Yes, and while I would've defended my side to the end of time otherwise, Yukari here has made me reconsider." Eli explained to Alyx.

"Dad, are you sure? We've heard the stories on what it can do." Alyx began, but Yukari raised a hand.

"That's why I'm planning for both. Here." Yukari spoke, handing over a notepad to Alyx. "That's an abridged version of the documentation. Should tell you how to control it, or if needed, destroy it."

"Whatever the case, the Combine _cannot_ have it, if they do, they could conquer their one weakness and whatever defense we have they could ignore." Eli stated.

"Imagine, for a moment, we had all those fortifications set up on both sides, and the Combine simply teleported a Strider right in front of the rocket and blew it up without us being able to even pose a fight." Yukari explained. "That's what could happen if that thing is captured and researched by the Union. Whatever the case, it needs to be dealt with, and sooner rather than later."

The younger Vance put away the notepad on their belt. "Thanks. Let's get that helicopter moved out."

The four stepped on that small elevator, and a distinct feeling washed over them. It felt familiar, like small pinpricks on the back of their mind that only got worse as they stepped off the platform. Then, their vision blurred as a distorted cry went out. An Advisor. They knew it now. They should've known it. It ripped through the window and wall, exposing a good portion of the hangar to the outside as it approached. Three of the four were left helpless as it pinned them against the wall, holding them up several feet by pure psychic might.

Word blurred, they could only make out Alyx crying out to their father, who simply assured them it would be okay as the old man smacked the Advisor with a pipe. It only seemed to irritate it, the Advisor beginning to hold the old man in a similar manner to someone hanging a pair of clothes as a second Advisor breached the building.

Two? Here? Their headache only grew in intensity as the second Advisor took Eli Vance, scanning to the three as they noted Yukari's presence.

They gritted their teeth. No guns, no grenades to distract the slug now. Was this how they went out? Right after the cusp of a major victory, forcing the other two to watch?

But as the second Advisor approached, they noted something with the first, even as it prepared it's victim for harvesting.

A blue laser, lining up perfectly with it's mechanical eye.

A resounding crack moved through the air as the Advisor whined as the mechanical eye sparked and dimmed from the shot, dropping Eli as it clutched it's now blind maggot-like face, squealing like a mixture of a bird and a pig as it attempted to flee, only succeeding in ramming into one of the hangar's walls.

The second turned, confused before the massive gorilla-like form of Dog dropped down from the hangar roof, pulling the Advisor to the ground as it managed to rip off one of it's mechanical arms. The first attempted to accelerate away, but ran right into the hangar wall, it's psionics flaring as the hold on the three dissipated.

The more injured Advisor threw Dog off itself as green blood leaked from it's harness as psionic power flared. Portions of the hangar were ripped apart to act as it's shield, but then the cavalry arrived. Hunters hopped into the hangar, orange flechettes impacting into the shield and exploding soon after, ripping apart much of their supposed shield. The hangar door opened, and attention split. An Immolator opened fire on the blind Advisor, who could barely make a shield, let alone defend itself, it's flesh corroding as the tore through it's covering with ease. The rest began to open fire on the more active Advisor, SMG and AR2 fire ripping apart it's defenses. Gordon too opened fire, a few more bullet holes causing the Advisor to bleed.

The Advisor saw the uselessness of it's defense and decided to book it, flying away as it teared apart another wall, another portion of the hangar roof collapsing as a result, coating the helicopter and much of the hangar in debris. Smoke rose, and all coughed, losing track of the Advisor.

"Dad, dad, are you alright?" Alyx spoke, panic in their voice as they moved over to their father.

"I'm… i'm alright, sweetie, i'm alright." Eli spoke as they were helped up, brought into another hug.

As they spoke, the roar of Gunships occurred overhead, dead-set on hunting down the Advisor as the Elite who commanded them approached.

"Is everyone alright, anyone injured?" Mokou called out.

"We're alright, I think." Yukari replied, somewhat out of breath from the psionic hold. "That helicopter is not, however."

"Unfortunate, but manageable." Zero spoke as they approached.

"How did you find us so quickly?" Eli asked, steadying themselves.

"You can give that trophy to Dog." Mokou commented. "Wait, where are they, anyways?"

A few eyes widened as they looked over to where Dog was flung to. The roof there had completely collapsed, leaving the robot covered in debris as well.

"Dog!" Alyx spoke, rushing over to the pile, the girl frantically digging through the rubble until they found Dog's head. It's main eye was cracked, it's plates heavily dented.

"Dog, please be there, please be there…" Alyx pleaded, the rest watching from a distance. But then, it's central light flicked on, it's eye focused on Alyx as it made a noise that could almost be described as a purr.

"You're alright, you're alright!" the younger Vance was practically crying now as they hugged the head. "You did it, boy, you saved us, all of us."

The robot gave a happy noise as the group approached.

"The Advisors didn't retreat with the rest." Zero noted the obvious.

"And their little trap nearly worked too. Even with Dog…" Yukari's tone soured slightly.

"No need to dwell on the what-ifs. What's done is done. The gunships are tracking down the other Advisor as we speak." Zero replied. "The expedition north will need to be delayed, but that can be a boon."

"A boon? They could be prying everything out of Mossman as we speak!" Eli retorted, moving over to the two.

"That is true, but we can be better prepared. We can send a proper escort, with dropships and synths. Bring the fight to their doorstep, as it were." Zero countered. "That helicopter needs to be repaired regardless, and everyone here could likely use rest."

Eli sighed. "A week. At most."

"More than enough time to raise an army." Yukari smirked. "And time for setting up the plan for my home as well."

Eli could only nod. "Right, but, if you'll excuse me, I need to sit down for a moment."

"Go take a nap, you deserve it. We all do." Mokou commented as they stamped down on the dead Advisor's corpse.

However, as rebel congratulated rebel and as Mokou assured the other Advisor was dead, in the treeline, another set of eyes watched. A tie was adjusted, and a figure allowed themselves a small smirk as they vanished from sight.

And peace finally reigned on White Forest that day, as the Resistance released a giant breath that it had been holding for so long. But they all knew this was but the second step towards retaking their home.

This war was just beginning.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 _And that's the end of the main chapters for the story. Our climax is over, but there is one more chapter to expect. It's already written, so expect it quite soon. I'll just let a little time pass for things to sink in._

 _I'll be honest, the entire latter half of this chapter was difficult to write, having to set up things in just the right way for it to work out as it did. I hope it doesn't seem too out of left field, but it's something to firmly separate this story from canon even further, and to give a more deserving end for all the work the Resistance did._

 _I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, as reviews are my lifeblood._

 _Regardless, well done if you've made it this far through this drivel. I'll be seeing you up ahead._


	10. Intercede

The youkai known as Yukari Yakumo was tired. Run ragged zooming to and fro all over the base. But finally, they had a moment to relax, their work done, they could finally unwind.

It had been a week since the invasion of White Forest, and planning, engineering, and training had taken up the vast majority of it. Establishing connections and trust with the people here, figuring out how to divide personnel between White Forest and the acquired Combine facility now known as the "Grey Spire", and then as well supplying the mission to the north to locate Mossman and the Borealis.

But all that was behind them. The final prep for the Arctic mission was taking place, and thus Yukari had the chance to relax in the room they were given. A decently sized room, complete with a bunk-bed, shelf of books, and an old couch which they currently sat in, perusing through old Russian novels.

Then, a knock came at the door, Yukari figuring out it's source quite quickly. They had always noticed everyone knocked a little bit differently. Mokou's was loud and to the point, usually closer to a thumping rather than a proper knock. Nitori's was more delicate, precise, cautious, like a precision instrument. This knock was measured, paced, vaguely mechanical. It's source was easy to deduce.

"Come in, Zero." Yukari spoke, putting down a bookmark before closing the book as the Elite came in.

"You requested my presence?" Zero asked, their formality quite present.

"Indeed." Yukari started. "Firstly, how goes the prep for the arctic mission?"

"According to schedule. By tomorrow, the group will begin moving northward." Zero answered.

"Good. But, that's not the only thing occurring tomorrow." Yukari spoke. "Me, Mokou, and Nitori are leaving."

"With the mission?" Zero gave a near-imperceptible head-tilt.

"Back home. City 8. " Yukari clarified. "We've finally been able to do what we came here to do. Establish good relations with White Forest. City 17's destruction, the super-portal, nor my capture were planned. We've been gone for far longer than we wanted to."

Zero paused for a moment. "...Alright then."

"You're surprised, I'm assuming?" Yukari raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes and no. I'm more surprised that rebellion in City 8 hasn't been completely quelled by now." Zero replied. "City 8 is one of the three most militarized cities on the planet, City 17 was a practical safe haven in comparison."

"A good point, but we youkai are craftier than most. Not to mention many still keeping some more inherent abilities not directly linked to magic." Yukari replied. "So, the main reason I actually asked you here was the simple question of whether you'd like to join us on our trip there or not?"

"You want me to come with you. Why?" Zero asked, confusion evident in their voice. "Would it not be more prudent to keep me here, training troops and assisting with the Grey Spire?"

"There's not much to teach them that they haven't already learned or can't figure out themselves. Classical tactics would only help in figuring out the enemy, rather than assisting themselves." Yukari started. "Secondly, Nitori has already written out an extensive guide on the operating systems of the Spire. It's in good hands."

"As for the why of why, it is more or less the fact that we all have grown rather attached to you. You've helped us as much as we've helped you. Besides, I do believe we could use you there." Yukari spoke. "While we are quite crafty, we would like to make some actual headway. Your skills and knowledge of how Overwatch functions could be quite useful. Perhaps the added push we need."

Zero paused for a while longer after that. "And what will the other rebels there think of my presence?"

"If they have problems, they'll have to go through the three of us." Yukari affirmed. "So, are you interested?"

Zero was quiet for a little while longer, head drifting slightly before it locked back onto Yukari. "Yes."

Yukari gave a smirk. "Excellent. I'll let the others know later. I would pack what you can now. We'll likely be leaving at sunrise."

"Affirmative." Zero nodded. "Was there anything else?"

"No, not really." Yukari admitted. "You can go now, if you wish. Do take care now."

"Likewise, ma'am. Have a good evening." Zero gave a nod before leaving, Yukari admitting another smile to themselves as the door closed behind them. This experiment had worked out far better than they had ever intended it to. They had noted Zero acting a little less mechanical with every day. They were acclimatizing well.

Then, a feeling ran down the back of the youkai's neck. Like the hangar, but different, as if the air itself had suddenly shifted, just slightly. Yukari wouldn't exactly describe it as a painful feeling, more similar to as if the air itself was weighted, a certain kind a delay coming to their movements that only their eyes could notice.

"...Quite the _sol_ dier you've managed to get a hold of." came a voice opposite the door. Yukari slightly stiffened before letting out a strong exhale from their nose, eyes finally looking over to the source.

"You always do know how precisely to invade other people's personal spaces, don't you?" Yukari replied to the suited man who had entered their room.

"Mmm." the man replied, his voice was always a hard thing to pinpoint, even for Yukari. Seemingly unfamiliar with tone and voice, no matter the language they used, voice slowing or speeding up at seemingly random intervals. "It is a _necessary_ skill to... _possess_ in my… line of work."

The man moved stiffly, setting himself down beside Yukari on the couch. "How _ever_ , that topic is _not_ my reasoning for _arrival_ here."

"Zero, then, is it?" Yukari narrowed their gaze, meeting the unnatural turquoise gaze of the suited man.

"Mmm, yes. " they started, almost tasting the air. "They are quite an… _asset_. I must say, even con _sider_ ing the… _impairment_ which you currently suffer from, I am im _pressed_ at what you've managed to do. As are my... employers, but their reaction is far closer to _trepidation_ rather than pure _inter_ e _s_ t."

Yukari could only give a small smirk at that. "Quite a reaction. One that reeks of things not going the way they were intended. I'm guessing they still possess that paranoid reaction to 'telling all', was it?"

"Even amongst those you considered peers... you _always_ were the most astute. Yes, this series of events is something entirely… un _predicted_. The Elite known as Four-Zero-Zero was supposed to die within the limits of City 17, as were you, my dear." the man replied, images flashing in the youkai's head of that all-consuming detonation ending both Elite and youkai alike.

"... however their _continued_ existence has undoubtedly changed many things. This is a potential reality I could not have seen occuring, but I do see… _limitless_ _potential_ within it, and while my... employers are still quite hesitant, they have agreed to be _patient_ and see what possible... _invest_ ments may grow out of it." the man explained.

"Then we see similar things, at least." Yukari replied. "I was quite hesitant about them as well, but the amount they've done could change the course of this war."

"Quite so. But in truly what way is _yet_ to be _seen_." he continued. "But that is only _one_ reason I am here, Ms. Yakumo, as despite this turn of events, my time in this... _position_ is beginning to draw to it's _con_ clusion. For anything that may be relevant to you, at least. While this wasn't entirely an... _intend_ ed outcome, that can be said for any of... _this_."

Yukari didn't betray any emotion, merely watching as the man set their signature briefcase on their lap.

"And while my... term here is coming to an _end_ , I do believe we have _unfinished_ business, mhm." the man started, adjusting himself on the couch.

"Namely, a... _debt_... that must be paid. While I do... _apologize_ for it taking this long to re _turn payment for services rendered_ , you must understand I am a _quite_ busy man, but I have found the _time_ to procure something of note for you." the man elaborated. "While normally I am… restric _ted_ in my role here, both me and my employers do take those we owe _very_ seriously, and considering this place is in a state of… _flux_ , my employers have allowed me... _leeway_ that I would not have been afforded otherwise."

The man opened the latches on the case, opening it with a click as they pulled out what appeared to be a sphere of energy, the colours within swirling and mixing, almost looking like a miniature galaxy. Yukari could practically feel the raw power emanating from it, though they rose an eyebrow.

"I believe this will assist in the aftermath of… _all this_ , no matter how long that may be." he spoke, before the sphere moved towards Yukari, going into themselves. Yukari's eyes widened as they realized what it exactly was, as dimensions that had been ripped from them came back into view. As if they were a colorblind man who could finally see that which they had been deprived of for so long.

The man then closed the case, snapping the locks closed before standing up, adjusting their tie as they looked to Yukari.

"That's... quite a gift." Yukari spoke, restraining surprise poorly.

"Do use it wisely, _Ms_. Yakumo." the man spoke as they turned away, towards the door. "While I would like to say that we'll _meet again_ , it is likely that this is the last time we'll see one another for a _very_ long time."

The man opened the door, the pathway beyond a pure white rather than the hallways of White Forest.

"Take care, _Ms_. Yakumo. Not many get a _second_ chance to correct mistakes." he spoke, his voice sounding slightly more relaxed before they walked through, the door closing behind them.

And the entity known to Yukari as the G-Man left for a final time. Yukari just let out a chuckle.

"I won't. Not this time." Yukari spoke softly, as they willed the light in their room to go out as a test, turning it off and on with some effort, old reflexes withered by lack of practice.

It wasn't much. A spark of magic, unfettered or hindered by belief. But it could grow, it could adapt. And to Yukari, the most important part: It could be _shared_.

While hope had bubbled within themselves over the developments with Zero, the destruction of the Citadel network and the capturing of the Grey Spire, they couldn't help but give a grin, something they hadn't done in ages. There was definite hope there now. Something they held onto. Something they could spread.

And the thought came that perhaps this war could end well after all, against all odds. Thus, for once they allowed themselves to close their eyes, and rest, just for a bit.

Tomorrow would be a busy day.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 _And that, my friends, is Subject: Gap. It's shorter, but it's epilogue, what does one expect? There's a fair bit to say here, so first let me get the biggest question out of the way first._

 _Will there be a sequel?_

 _Possibly. Maybe even probably. I have numerous ideas, many of which i've teased throughout the story. The setting would likely be City 8, a setting inspired somewhat by the Garry's Mod maps of the same name, at least in design. I've thought a fair deal about it, it'd be a fairly different setting, something entirely new and divorced from previous locales and canon. There would also be a lot more Touhou characters involved, which I know has been something requested, but I didn't want to force any others in willy-nilly._

 _If there is a sequel, though, I'd probably try to do things differently. Writing chapters ahead in advance then releasing them over time, rather than a "when it's done" sort of thing. Dunno if I can stick to something like that, but it's somethin' to try, at least._

 _Secondly, i'd like to apologize again for that gigantic hiatus. My mind wanders, and I despise myself for it. For those who stuck to the end, I thank you very much._

 _Other than the sequel, I have some other ideas for stories. Namely little one-shots for some things i've wanted to write for. Don't know if any of them will hold water, but it's something that might happen. Might even be something as simple as files explaining some things. Expect a bit of that in the near future._

 _If you wish to leave a review, please do so, as i'm also open to answering most questions one might have._

 _Lastly, I do want to say thank you to all those who have reviewed in the past, as your reviews are honestly one of my main factors for driving me forward with my writings. While they've been less since my absence, they still helped me get a little bit of extra steam, if simply to not disappoint others, even if you're still probably disappointed by my bad writings._


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